MODERN 
•I  FARM 
UILDINGS 


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MODERN 
FARM  BUILDINGS 


MODERN 
FARM   BUILDINGS 


BEING  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE  MOST  APPROVED  WAYS 
OF  DESIGNING  THE  COW  BARN,  DAIRY,  HORSE 
BARN,  HAY  BARN,  SHEEPCOTE,  PIGGERY,  MANURE 
PIT,  CHICKEN  HOUSE,  ROOT  CELLAR,  ICE  HOUSE, 
AND  OTHER  BUILDINGS  OF  THE  FARM  GROUP, 
ON     PRACTICAL,     SANITARY     AND    ARTISTIC     LINES 


BY 

ALFRED   HOPKINS 

A.  A.   I.   A. 


NEW   YORK 

McBRIDE,  NAST  &  COMPANY 

1913 


Copyright,  1913,  by 
McBride,  Nast,  &  Co. 


Published,  April,  1913 


OftKD  Fionning 
libsatg 

a/A 


TO 

EDWARD  BURNETT 

AN     AUTHORITV     ON     AH. 
MATTEHS       RELATING       TO 
THE      FARM,      THIS      BOOK  ' 
IS    INSCRIBED     WITH     THE 
REGARD    OF    THE    AUTHOR 


PREFACE 

DURING  the  past  twelve  years  the  author  has  had  occasion 
to  design  many  farm  buildings,  varying  from  the  small- 
est establishment  to  those  of  considerable  extent.  Amid  all 
the  improved  ideas  about  the  care  of  milk  which  have  de- 
veloped in  the  past  decade,  it  has  frequently  been  difficult  for 
the  architect  to  formulate  conclusions  from  the  mass  of  data 
compiled,  and  the  many  opinions  expressed  by  those  whose 
work  has  led  them  into  the  scientific  analysis  of  milk  and  of 
milk  production.  In  this  search  for  facts,  the  author  has 
come  into  contact  with  the  bacteriologist — impressed  by  noth- 
ing but  the  thing  he  feels  to  be  necessary  to  give  a  sterile 
sample  of  milk;  with  the  enthusiastic  herdsman — looking  to 
a  record  for  his  cow,  with  no  thought  but  for  the  quantity  of 
milk;  with  the  veterinary — ^who  cares  neither  for  milk  nor 
milk  production,  but  is  concerned  only  with  the  health  of  the 
animal;  and  with  the  farm  superintendent — who,  perhaps, 
takes  no  special  delight  in  milk  production  or  scientific  hygiene 
for  his  cattle,  but  whose  first  thought  is  for  the  arrangement 
that  wiU  permit  the  work  to  be  done  in  the  easiest  possible 
manner.  To  reconcile  these  views  is  the  hope  which  has  in- 
spired the  following  pages.  A  vain  hope,  perhaps,  but  a  real 
one. 

Though  the  author  has  been  greatly  interested  in  acquiring, 
in  the  cause  of  clean  milk,  the  information  here  set  down — 
information  for  the  farmer,  the  herdsman,  the  dairyman — 


PREFACE 


yet,  quite  equal  to  his  interest  on  the  practical  side,  has  been 
his  interest  in  the  design  of  the  farm  buildings  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  architect.  He  long  ago  became  convinced  of  the 
delightful  architectural  possibilities  of  the  farm  barn — pos- 
sibilities which  have  not  been  appreciated,  either  by  his  con- 
freres or  by  the  public  at  large ;  and  this  work  has  been  under- 
taken with  the  idea  of  setting  forth  these  possibilities  quite  as 
much  from  the  esthetic  as  from  the  practical  side. 

He  wishes  to  acknowledge  here  his  indebtedness  to  many 
friends  who  have  helped  him  in  his  work :  to  Mr.  S.  L.  Stewart, 
for  his  assistance  on  the  method  of  milking ;  indeed  the  chap- 
ter on  Administration  is  virtually  a  description  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  milk  is  made  at  the  Brookside  Farm;  to  Mr. 
James  A.  Reburn,  for  many  suggestions  with  regard  to  the 
detail  of  the  cow  barn;  to  Mr.  Harlo  J.  Fiske,  manager  of 
Skylands  Farm,  Sterlington,  N.  Y.,  for  much  that  is  comprised 
in  the  chapter  on  the  Chicken  House;  to  the  author's  friend, 
Mr.  A.  Foxton  Ferguson,  who  has  proved  that  friendship 
many  times  over  by  reading  through  his  manuscript  and  giv- 
ing to  it  the  benefit  of  his  literary  skill ;  and  last,  but  by  no 
means  least,  to  Francis  Lynde  Stetson,  Esq.,  who  has  entrusted 
to  his  care  the  architectural  work  on  the  beautiful  Skylands 
Farm,  giving  him  a  free  hand  in  the  carrying  out  of  every 
detail,  who  has  been  receptive  of  every  thought  which  would 
improve  any  of  the  buildings  in  appearance  or  usefulness,  has 
been  patient  with  the  perplexities  of  building  and  always  help- 
ful in  suggestion.  It  has  been  a  rare  privilege  to  cooperate 
with  him  and  the  author  here  writes  his  grateful  acknowledg- 
ment. 

Alfred  Hopkins 

New  York  City,  Sept.  7, 1912. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I     Artistic  Possibilities  OF  THE  Farm  BtrtLDiNG  .     .      .         .     .  15 

II     The  Cow  Barn 20 

Feed   Room 23 

Milk   Eoom 27 

Location  of  Cattle 27 

Materials 29 

Sizes 31 

Arrangement  of  Cattle 33 

Cow   Stalls 35 

Calf   Pens .  39 

Bull    Pens 41 

Watering  and   Feeding  Troughs 43 

Water 45 

Floors  and  Floor  Drainage 46 

Liquid  Manure 49 

Plumbing 53 

Ventilation 54 

Artificial  Heat 60 

Manure  Trolley 61 

Bedding 62 

Silos 64 

Cow  Yard 69 

Painting 71 

Blinds  and  Flies 72 

Doors 73 

Windows 75 

Utensils 77 

III  The  Dairy 79 

Milk  Receiving  Room 81 

Milk  Room 82 

Wash  Room .88 

Laundry 90 

Boiler  Room :  Live   Steam 92 

Plans  of  Dairies 93 

Heating  and  Ventilating  of  the  Dairy 97 

IV  ADMIXISTR.iTION' 99 

Milking   Machines 107 

Vacuum  Cleaner 108 

V    Other  Bcildings  of  the  Farm  Group 110 

The  Hay  Barn 110 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAOB 

The  Farm  Stables 114 

Wagon    Room 114 

Harness    Room 114 

Horse   Stable 115 

Stalls 118 

Feed   Room 121 

Sheds 121 

Machinery  Room  and  Tool  Room 123 

Leaders 123 

Hardware 123 

VI    Plans  of  Farm  Barns 127 

At  Oyster  Bay,  L.  1 127 

At  Rhinebeck,  N.  Y 130 

At  Scarsboro,  N.  Y 132 

At  Westbury,  L.  1 135 

At  Greenwich,  Conn 138 

At  Sterlington,  N.  Y 140 

At  Islip,  L.  1 143 

At  Morristown,  N.  J 146 

At  Woodbury  Falls,  N.  Y 147 

At  Brookville,  L.  1 149 

At  Oyster  Bav,  L.  1 151 

At  North  Easton,  Mass 153 

At  New  Boston,  N.  H 155 

The  Briarcliff  Farm,  White  Plains,  N.  Y 157 

Proposed  Farm  Buildings  at  Port  Chester,  N.  Y 159 

VII    The  Smaller  Problem 165 

VIII     The  Gar.\ge 170 

The  Independent  Garage 173 

IX     Other  Buildings  of  the  Farm 180 

Chicken  Houses 180 

Poultry  Bibliography 189 

Sheepfold   .      .■ 190 

Manure  Pit  and  Piggery 195 

Root  Cellar 200 

Ice  House 203 

Corn   Crib 205 


THE  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Farm  buildings  for  Francis  Lynde  Stetson,  Esq.,  Sterlington,  N".  Y. 

Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGB 

Water  tower  for  Mortimer  L.  Schiff,  Esq.,  Oyster  Bay,  L.  1 15 

Coach  stable  and  coachman's  cottage  for  Francis  Lynde  Stetson,  Esq., 

Sterlington,  N.  Y 1« 

Farm  buildings  for  H.  M.  Tilford,  Esq.,  Munroe,  N.  Y 19 

Tool  house,  Skylands  Farm,  Sterlington,  N.  Y 28 

Old  farm  buildings  on  Long  Island 28 

Interior  of  a  commercial  cow  bam „      .  32 

Cow  barn  interior,  showing  steel  stanchions 32 

Interior  of  cow  bam  with  pipe  stalls  arranged  for  the  tie     ....  36 

Bull  yard  and  exerciser 41 

Continuous  and  divided  feeding-trougha 42 

Manure  trolley  and  carrier 61 

Sliding  hay  door  near  the  ridge 76 

Cow  barn  windows 76 

A  corner  of  the  dairy  for  Mortimer  L.  SchiflF,  Esq.,  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.     .  79 

Concrete  cooling-vat  in  milk  room 82 

Galvanized-iron  can  for  ice-water 82 

Milk  cooler  for  commercial  plant  and  bottling-table 86 

Milk  cooler  and  bottle  filler  for  the  small  plant 86 

The  dairy  wash  sink 88 

Two  kinds  of  pipe-rack  dairy  tables 88 

High-pressure  sterilizer 90 

Laundry  machine  for  the  dairy 90 

An  ice  house  in  the  woods 102 

Hosing  out  the  cow  barn 102 

Two  methods  of  framing  the  hay  bam Ill 

The  farm  shed  in  the  group  for  F.  G.  Bourne,  Esq.,  Oakdale,  L.  I.     .      .118 

The  West  Point  horse  stall 118 

Farm  buildings  for  Tracy  Dows,  Esq.,  Rhinebeck,  N.  Y 127 

Farm  buildings  for  Louis  C.  Tiffany,  Esq.,  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.     .      .      .  128 

Farm  buildings  for  Tracy  Dows,  Esq.,  Khinebeck,  N.  Y 130 


THE   ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING    PAGE 

Farm  biiildings  for  James  Speyer,  Esq.,  Scarboro,  N.  Y 132 

Drinking-trough  and  pergola  in  the  farm  group  for  James  Speyer,  Esq., 

Scarboro,  N.  Y 134 

Farm  buildings  for  Charles  Steele,  Esq.,  Westbury,  L.  1 136 

Farm  buildings  for  H.  F.  Fisher,  Esq.,  Greenwich,  Conn 138 

Farm  buildings  for  Francis  Lynde  Stetson,  Esq.,  Sterlington,  N.  Y.     .  140 

Farm  buildings  for  S.  T.  Peters,  Esq.,  Islip,  L.  1 143 

The  dairy  in  the  farm  group  for  S.  T.  Peters,  Esq.,  Islip,  L.  I.     .      .      .  144 

Farm  buildings  for  Charles  E.  Rushmore,  Esq.,  Woodbury  Falls,  N.  Y.  146 

Farm  buildings  for  0.  H.  Kahn,  Esq.,  Morristown,  N.  J 146 

Farm  buildings  for  J.   E.   Davis,   Esq.,  Brookville,  L.   1 149 

Farm  buildings  for  J.   E.   Davis,  Esq.,  Brookville,  L.   1 150 

Details  in  the  farm  group  for  Mortimer  L.  Schiff,  Esq.,  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.  152 

Farm  buildings  for  F.  L.  Ames,  Esq.,  North  Easton,  Mass.     .      .      .  154 

Farm  barns  for  the  J.  Reed  Whipple  Co.,  New  Boston,  N.  H.     .      .      .  156 
Proposed  farm  buildings  for  the  late  Hugh  J.  Chisolm,  Esq.,  Portehester, 

N.   Y 159 

Planting  about  the  dairy  in  the  farm  group  for  Mortimer  L.  Schiff,  Esq., 

Oyster  Bay,  L.  1 164 

Temporary  garage  for  Clifford  V.  Brokaw,  Esq.,  Glen  Cove,  L.  I.     .      .  170 

Stable  and  garage  for  C.  R.  Agnew,  Esq.,  Armonk,  N.  Y 172 

Piggery  for  S.  T.  Peters,  Esq.,  Islip,  L.  1 174 

Garage  for  S.  T.  Peters,  Esq.,  Islip,  L.  1 174 

Chicken  houses  for  Francis  Lynde  Stetson,  Esq.,  Sterlington,  N.  Y.     .  180 

Colony  houses  permanently  located 182 

Interior  of  brooder  house 182 

Covered  manure  pit,  Skylands  Farm,  Sterlington,  N.  Y 188 

Interior  of  a  chicken  house 188 

Sheepfold  and  shepherd's  quarters  for  Francis  Lynde  Stetson,  Esq.,  Ster- 
lington, N.  Y 190 

Interior  of  sheepfold,  Skylands  Farm,  Sterlington,  N.  Y 193 

The  piggery,  Skylands  Farm,  Sterlington,  N.  Y 195 

Corn  crib  in  the  farm  group  for  Clifford  V.  Brokaw,  Esq.,  Glen  Cove, 

L.  1 205 

Two  types  of  corn  crib 206 


MODERN 
FARM  BUILDINGS 


A\     ATTRAC'TIVK     LOCATION      HHI      s|(ll       \      >II(I(I1KE.       WATKll 
TOWKK   FOR   MOUTIMKlt    I.    ,s(  1 1 1  I  I  ,   K.S(^.,  O'lhJKH  KAY,  I..  I. 


MODERN  FARM   BUILDINGS 

Chapter  I 

ARTISTIC  POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  FARM 
BUILDING 

THE  country  has  always  attracted  man  as  a  place  in  which 
to  rear  his  habitation  and  no  matter  how  complex  are 
his  urban  interests  there  is  in  the  human  heart  a  lurking  de- 
sire sooner  or  later  to  revert  to  the  soil.  The  effort  of  the 
architect  to  make  beautiful  the  country  home  furnishes  many 
interesting  examples  all  over  the  world,  though  the  most  fa- 
mous of  these  are  to  be  found  in  Italy.  Here  the  art  of  the 
architect  finds  its  proper  complement  in  the  art  of  the  gar- 
dener, and  under  the  beautiful  Italian  skies  the  villa  and  its 
gardens  reached  a  perfect  development.  In  England  the 
country  estate  has  achieved  a  rare  degree  of  importance,  but 
while  more  acreage  is  brought  under  immediate  cultivation, 
the  result  is  at  times  lacking  in  charm  when  the  more  serious 
Northern  effort  is  compared  with  the  lightness  and  the  grace 
of  the  South.  While  the  Italian  and  the  English  phases  of 
country  life  are  captivating  and  have  been  the  source  of 
almost  all  our  inspiration,  yet  it  must  be  left  to  our  own  ar- 
chitects to  develop  and  perfect  an  American  ideal  of  the  coun- 
try home ;  and  never  were  opportunities  more  golden. 

As  the  home  needs  the  adornment  of  shnibs  and  trees  and 
flowers,  so  do  the  fields  and  meadows  require  the  amiable  pres- 
ence of  animals  to  complete  the  picture;  and  indeed  it  may 

15 


16  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

be  argued  that  they  and  not  man  are  the  real  tenants  of  the 
soil,  and  to  house  them  properly  and  fittingly  is  a  problem 
that  no  artist  need  despise.  The  various  buildings  necessary 
for  their  several  uses  are  capable  of  such  an  infinite  variety 
of  groupings,  that  the  requirements  of  the  farm  would  seem 
to  offer  more  scope  to  the  architect  than  do  the  problems  of 
the  house.  There  are  the  tall  towers  for  water  or  ensilage; 
the  long,  low  creeping  sheds  for  the  storage  of  wood,  farm 
implements  and  machinery ;  and  the  huge  protecting  and  dom- 
inating structures  required  for  the  proper  housing  of  the  hay, 
grain  and  straw.  With  these  buildings  in  effective  combina- 
tion and  appropriately  placed  among  the  fields,  the  picture  of 
the  farm  can  be  made  so  pleasing,  and  the  idea  of  going  back 
to  Nature  as  the  source  of  all  sustenance  so  ingratiating,  that 
it  would  be  possible  to  build  up  an  effective  philosophy  on 
the  principle  that  the  architecture  of  the  home  should  be  made 
to  resemble  the  architecture  of  the  farm,  rather  than  the  other 
way  about.  While  the  various  examples  of  farm  barns,  which 
are  to  follow,  may  not  at  all  times  substantiate  this  view,  yet 
we  trust  that  some  of  these  may  be  found  of  sufficient  interest 
to  impress  upon  the  man  with  landed  estates  that  in  his  farm 
buildings  he  has  delightful  architectural  possibilities  which 
should  not  be  ignored  or  entrusted  to  incompetent  hands. 

As  the  buildings  are  capable  of  such  variety  of  architectural 
expression,  they  not  only  demand  a  proper  and  adequate  en- 
vironment, but  they  are  entitled  to  it  by  every  reason,  prac- 
tical as  well  as  artistic.  They  should  not  be  shunted  off  into 
an  out-of-the-way  comer  or  placed  at  a  disadvantage  because 
of  a  mistaken  idea  that  farm  buildings  are  not  worthy  of  a 
picturesque  or  an  important  position.  Each  one  of  the  cen- 
ters of  interest  on  an  estate  has  its  own  individuality  which 


\ii;i  IN(.    i;i  II II    I.IXES 


ROUGH    FIELD    STOMi    AND    IIKW  N    Tl.MHKRS.      COACH    STABLE    AXD 

COACHMAX'S  COTTAGE   FOR   FRAXCLS   LYXDE  STETSOX,  ESQ., 

STERLIXGTOX,  X.  Y. 


ARTISTIC   POSSIBILITIES  17 

must  be  respected.  The  house  place  with  its  hospitality  of 
garden,  lawn  or  grove;  the  farmstead;  the  stabling  and 
garage ;  the  deer  park ;  the  lakes  or  watercourses  with  their 
verdured  shores — each  contributes  to  the  fascination  of  the 
whole;  but  since  it  is  in  human  nature  to  become  fatigued 
with  what  is  continually  before  the  view,  it  is  well  to  give  to 
these  various  centers  a  certain  seclusion  of  their  own.  This 
would  suggest  the  choosing  of  a  site  for  the  farm  barns  well 
away  from  the  inmiediate  haimts  of  the  home,  and  where 
they  may  be  "visited  only  by  a  pilgrimage  through  pleasant 
fields  and  lanes. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  an  ideal  situation  is  to  be  found 
on  the  top  of  a  hiU,  where  the  long,  low  buildings  can  be 
thro^vn  into  prominence  against  the  background  of  the  sky. 
Here  would  be  an  inspiration  for  the  designer  to  bring  out 
the  full  effectiveness  of  his  sky  line,  always  a  splendid  pos- 
sibility and  one  to  which  the  diversities  of  the  farm  group 
so  readily  lend  themselves.  While  the  crest  of  a  hiU  is  cer- 
tain to  oifer  an  effective  treatment,  yet  a  position  half  way 
down  a  long  southern  slope  also  proiddes  an  admirable  set- 
ting, desirable  in  some  climates  and  localities  for  the  protec- 
tion it  gives  in  winter,  where  the  force  of  the  north  wind  may 
be  tempered  by  the  high-lying  land  in  that  direction.  No 
builder  who  enters  into  the  practical  consideration  of  his 
problem  will  choose  a  site  where  the  waters  from  the  adjacent 
land  cannot  be  easily  turned  aside,  nor  one  where  the  drain- 
age from  the  buildings  themselves  cannot  be  readily  con- 
ducted away. 

To  speculate  upon  the  architectural  type  of  the  structure 
is  a  fascinating  occupation  for  the  artist,  but  all  esthetic  dis-. 
cussion  of  the  farm  bam  finally  resolves  itself  into  the  ^dew 


18  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

that  the  keynote  of  the  whole  scheme  should  be  simplicity 
of  construction  and  detail,  and  that  all  the  well-worn  motives 
of  architectural  ornament  should  be  abandoned ;  and  this  view 
obtains  not  only  in  the  outlines  of  the  exterior,  but  in  the  in- 
terior plan  of  the  structure  as  well.  The  author  long  ago 
gave  up  the  idea  of  formulating  a  plan  for  the  farm  bam 
along  the  generally  accepted  lines  of  architectural  symmetry. 
This  scheme  of  design  is  entirely  too  rigid  to  suit  the  problem 
either  artistically  or  practically,  and  a  more  flexible  manner 
should  be  chosen.  The  special  uses  of  the  various  portions  of 
the  buildings  are  so  different  that,  for  example,  it  is  difficult 
to  reproduce  in  strict  architectural  synunetry  the  quarters  for 
the  horses  in  a  wing  that  shall  be  identical  in  appearance  with 
the  quarters  for  the  cows,  without  sacrificing  very  consider- 
ably the  practical  requirements  of  either  one  wing  or  the 
other.  The  strictly  formal  plan  and  elevation  which  the  ar- 
chitect has  devised  as  fitting  for  the  stately  palace  and  the 
great  garden,  seems  entirely  out  of  place  when  he  comes  to 
the  humbler  problem  of  the  farm.  Here  the  rambling,  happy- 
go-lucky  type  of  plan  will  yield  fully  as  much  in  artistic  value 
and  will  hamper  the  architect  less  in  his  effort  to  combine 
the  practical  with  the  beautiful. 

The  local  materials,  whatever  they  are,  will  be  the  least 
expensive  in  cost  and  the  most  suitable  in  appearance.  Noth- 
ing could  be  more  fitting  than  to  build  the  farm  barn  in  rough 
stone  or  of  rived  cypress  shingles — or  of  stone  and  shingles 
in  combination.  Stucco  presents  an  admirable  surface  for 
this  character  of  structure ;  the  vines  grow  well  on  it,  and  the 
moving  shadows  from  the  trees  give  it  a  continual  variation 
of  light  and  shade  which  always  lends  a  charm  to  its  surface. 
Brick  may  be  used  with  equal  propriety  and  effect  and  in  the 


ARTISTIC   POSSIBILITIES  19 

old-fashioned  weatherboarding  of  the  farmer's  barn  there 
are  still  hidden  possibilities  of  design  that  only  await  dis- 
covery by  the  artist  who  shall  know  how  to  use  them. 

The  irregularities  of  site  frequently  offer  equally  interest- 
ing opportunities ;  for  when  the  buildings  cover  a  considerable 
ground  area,  or  when,  as  often  occurs  in  rolling  districts,  a 
level  site  of  sufficient  extent  is  not  available,  the  architect  may 
then  greatly  increase  the  interest  of  his  work  by  placing  his 
buildings  at  different  levels,  thereby  letting  his  stiTicture 
adapt  itself  more  to  the  conformation  of  the  ground.  This  is 
a  phase  of  country  building  which  he  has  been  slow  to  appre- 
ciate, for  his  habitual  custom  is  to  level  off  all  inequalities  of 
site  and  construct  a  plain  or  plateau  on  which  to  rear  his 
building.  It  is,  therefore,  well  for  him  to  proceed  with  cau- 
tion if  it  becomes  necessary  to  lay  violent  hands  upon  Nature's 
outlines,  and  not  to  mar  her  beauty  by  unnecessary  cuts,  fills, 
or  embankments,  nor  with  roads  of  too  great  a  prominence, 
for  even  these  should  be  carefully  contrived  and  screened 
with  plants  and  trees,  so  as  not  to  make  an  obtrusive  scar 
upon  the  face  of  the  landscape. 

Nothing  is  more  helpful  to  the  architect's  work  than  the 
soft  influence  of  vines  and  trees  and  shrubs,  and  the  considera- 
tion of  these  should  not  be  neglected,  for  nowhere  are  they 
more  appropriate  than  in  the  environment  of  the  farm  build- 
ing, where  their  presence  will  soften  the  hard,  constructional 
lines  of  the  builder.  The  farm  barn  should  have,  therefore, 
every  benefit  which  the  growing  plant  and  vine  can  yield  and 
nestle  quietly  and  unobtrusively  where  it  will  give  to  the  eye 
the  sense  of  shelter  and  of  annual  comfort  and  quiet. 


Chapter  II 
THE  COW  BAEN 

WE  will  now  leave,  somewhat  reluctantly,  the  architec- 
tural possibilities  of  the  farm  bam,  and  take  up  what 
must  always  come  first  in  the  consideration  of  any  building 
project — its  practical  requirements. 

It  would  seem  proper  to  commence  the  discussion  of  the 
modern  farm  building  with  the  cow  barn,  which  is  the  most 
important  building  in  the  gi'oup;  we  will  then  proceed  to  a 
consideration  of  the  dairy,  with  which  it  is  intimately  con- 
nected, and  finally,  we  shall  review  the  uses  to  which  both 
are  put,  so  far  as  such  uses  influence  the  general  plan  of  the 
building. 

With  the  idea  of  the  purity  of  the  milk  constantly  in  mind, 
it  must  be  remembered  that  the  sources  of  its  contamination 
are  now  no  longer  to  be  found  in  sewage,  manure  and  the  filth 
that  used  to  prevail  at  the  farm  barn  twenty  or  thirty  years 
ago.  Then  nobody  thought  it  necessary  to  pay  any  special 
attention  to  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  cow,  and  the  most 
unsanitary  conditions  in  the  matter  of  her  care  and  environ- 
ment prevailed  generally.  The  milk  methods  of  that  time 
have  been  strikingly  brought  out  by  Dr.  Wm.  T.  Sedgwick 
in  his  "Prmciples  of  Sanitary  Science  and  the  Public 
Health":  "It  should  never  be  forgotten  that  if  water  were 
to  be  drawn,  as  milk  is,  from  the  body  of  a  cow  standing  in  a 
stable,  by  the  hands  of  workmen  of  questionable  cleanliness, 
and  then  stood  and  transported  over  long  distances  in  im- 

20 


THE   COW   BARN 


21 


perfectly  cleaned,  closed  cans,  being  further  manipulated 
more  or  less,  and  finally  left  at  the  doors  at  an  uncertain  hour 
of  the  day,  few  would  care  to  drink  it,  because  its  pollution 
and  staleness  would  be  obvious.  ...  It  is  clear,"  he  goes  on 
to  say,  "that  milk  requires  and  deserves  more  careful  treat- 
ment than  water,  for  it  is  more  valuable,  more  trusted,  and 
more  readily  falsified  and  decomposed." 

Now  that  the  habit  and  knowledge  of  cleanliness  is  more 
general,  it  has  been  observed  that  the  infection  of  milk  is  not 


FIG.    1— PLAN  SHOWING   SIMPLEST   POSSIBLE   ARRANGEMENT  OP   COW  BARN  FOB 
YOUNG  STOCK  AND  MILKING  COWS — FEED  BEING  STORED  OVER  YOUNG  STOCK 


so  much  due  to  the  virulent  pathogenic  germ  found  in  filthy 
and  unsanitary  surroundings,  as  to  the  bacteria  on  the  dust 
in  the  stable,  and  especially  the  dust  of  the  feed,  grain  and 
hay.  For  this  reason  it  is  desirable  to  place  the  milking  cows 
as  far  as  possible  from  the  storage  of  hay,  bedding  and  the 
like,  which  brings  up  at  once  the  question  as  to  whether  it  is 
advisable  at  all  to  store  hay  over  the  animals,  although  long 
custom  has  established  that  usage.    Under  certain  conditions 


22  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

— especially  in  cases  where  the  floor  between  the  cows  and  the 
loft  above  is  fireproof,  and  where  there  is  no  communication 
between  the  storage  of  hay  above  and  the  cows  beneath — it 
would  be  possible  to  put  the  hay  over  the  animals  without 
gi'eat  damage  to  the  milk.  Fig.  1  shows  a  plan  where  the 
storage  of  hay  is  above  the  animals,  dra-wn  down  into  a  feed 
room  between  the  milking  cows  and  the  young  stock,  but  even 
here  the  hay  loft  should  be  filled  from  the  back  and  the  bulk 
of  the  hay  stored  above  the  young  stock  and  feed  room,  in 
preference  to  using  the  space  over  the  milking  cows.  The 
great  objection  to  hay  above  the  milking  cows  is  that  at  hay- 
ing time  so  much  dust  is  caused  in  filling  the  lofts  that  the 
making  of  good  milk  during  that  period  is  impossible,  even 
with  all  the  windows  of  the  milking  barn  closed.  For  that 
reason  the  hay  is  best  put  into  the  barn  at  the  rear  of  the 
building,  and  as  far  removed  from  the  quarters  of  the  milk- 
ing cow  as  possible.  This  is  the  simplest  tjT^e  of  barn  for  the 
man  who  wants  to  take  care  of  his  stock  at  a  minimum  cost  of 
building  and  labor,  and  there  is  no  reason  why,  with  proper 
care,  milk  should  not  be  made  in  such  a  structure  which 
would  answer  every  requirement  of  clean  milk.  In  the  au- 
thor's practice,  however,  he  has  always  endeavored  to  carry 
out  the  idea  which  aims  at  separating  entirely  the  storage  of 
the  feed  and  hay  from  the  housing  of  the  animals,  not  only 
on  accoimt  of  the  contamination  of  the  milk  by  the  dust  in  the 
feed,  but  equally  on  account  of  the  contamination  of  the  feed 
from  the  odors  of  the  stable.  Man  has  only  to  think  how 
loathsome  his  own  food  would  become  if  tainted  by  the  fumes 
of  sewage,  to  realize  how  greatly  the  quality  and  value  of  the 
fodder  for  his  animals  would  be  lessened  by  a  similar  con- 
tamination.    If  hay  is  ever  stored  above  the  live  stock,  par- 


THECOWBARN  23 

ticular  care  should  be  taken  that  none  of  the  fumes  of  the 
stable  can  reach  it.  The  vent  ducts  may  go  through  the  hay 
loft,  but  they  should  be  carefully  papered  and  sheathed  tight 
on  both  sides  of  the  studding,  and  on  no  account  should  they 
open  into  the  loft  for  any  reason  whatever.  The  custom  of 
throwing  hay  down  into  the  stable  below  through  the  vent 
duct  must  not  be  tolerated. 

FEED  ROOM. — From  a  scientific  as  well  as  a  practical 
point  of  view,  the  feed  room  is  just  as  necessary  for  the  care 
of  the  animal  as  the  pantry  is  to  the  service  in  the  human 
household.  It  is  located  between  the  hay  barn  and  the  cows, 
and  is  the  place  into  which  the  feed  is  drawn,  and  there  cut 
and  mixed.  The  door  of  the  feed  room  should  always  be 
closed  when  feed  is  being  prepared,  or  when  dust  from  it  is 
liable  to  get  into  the  cow  barn,  no  matter  whether  the  cows 
are  being  milked  or  not.  The  feed  room  should  be  a  place 
solely  for  the  preparation  of  the  feed,  and  not  for  the  storage 
of  it.  Hay  is  cared  for  in  the  hay  bam  and,  in  fact,  the  gen- 
eral storage  of  meal,  grain,  etc.,  is  best  effected  above  the  feed 
room  and  not  in  it.  In  fact  a  very  good  system  of  feeding 
is  to  mix  the  feed  either  above  or  away  from  the  feed  room, 
and  so  keep  the  dust  occasioned  by  mixing  out  of  the  feed 
room  entirely.  Grain  is  almost  invariably  sold  in  bags,  even 
when  bought  in  carload  lots,  and  the  proj^er  storage  of  feed 
is  to  keep  it  in  the  bags ;  feed  keeps  fresher  in  bags  than  when 
stored  in  bulk,  and  consequently  the  feed  bins  need  not  be 
any  larger  than  is  necessary  to  hold  a  week's  supply.  "When 
empty  they  are  refilled  from  the  bags  of  stored  meal.  Feed 
bins  are  invariably  lined  with  metal,  the  four  sides  as  well 
as  the  covers;  and  if  projected  doAvn  into  the  room  below,  as 
shown  by  Fig.  2,  the  feed  will  not  clog  up  and  cake  in  the 


3-0     TO  4  -6 


FtED     BIW;^ 

LINED    WITH     YS  X  4' 
T  »   <5     JfltJTniNC^ 
AMD     LiNtD     WITH   *  i6 
Q«H'/SWIZED      IRON 


FIG.   2 — SECTION   OP   FEED   BIN 
[24] 


THE   COW   BAEN 


25 


bottom  of  the  bins,  but  will  run  freely  through  the  chutes. 
Four  compartments  are  desirable,  though  three  are  usually 
sufficient — two  small  ones  and  one  or  two  larger  ones,  as  the 
young  stock,  dry  stock,  and  milking  cows  all  require  different 
rations. 

The  feeding  cart,  as  well  as  all  utensils  for  mixing  the  feed 
should  be  kept  scrupulously  clean.    Water  must  be  had  at  a 


HAv    BA.:i^* 


TnouaM 


FIG.    3— A   TYPICAL    PLAN   FOR  HOUSING   A  HEBD   OP   FOURTEEN   MILKING   COWS, 
FOUR  DRY  STOCK,    SEVEN   YOUNG   STOCK  AND   A  BULL 

place  convenient  for  cleaning — preferably  both  steam  and 
water.  In  the  plan  illustrated  by  Fig.  3  a  separate  small 
room  has  been  provided  with  steam  connections,  not  only  for 
the  keeping  but  for  the  sj^ecial  cleaning  of  the  feed  carts, 
manure  carriers  and  all  the  utensils  of  the  cow  stable. 

It  is  desirable,  especially  in  large  plans,  that  the  feed  room 
should  have  an  outside  door,  so  located  that  a  loaded  wagon 
may  be  driven  through  it  easily  without  backing.  There  is 
no  objection  to  backing  out  empty;  but  all  places  of  storage 


26 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


sliould  certainly  be  located  where  they  can  be  reached  with- 
out it  being  necessary  to  back  when  loaded. 

Root  cellars  are  frequently  jDlaced  below  the  feed  room  but 
since  ensilage  has  come  into  such  favor  with  dairymen,  the 
use  of  roots  in  feeding  is  less  general  than  it  was,  and  the  root 
cellar  is  now  kept  more  for  the  storage  of  vegetables  and 
fruits,  when  it  is  best  located  away  from  the  farm  barn  en- 
tirely. Root  cellars  under  feed  room  and  under  portions  of 
the  hay  barn  are  very  liable  to  freeze  in  extremely  cold 
weather  and,  in  order  to  avoid  this,  it  is  well  to  have  a  chimney 
whose  flue,  not  less  than  12x16  in.,  can  be  used  for  ventilation 
and  also  for  a  stove.  Ventilation  in  the  root  cellar  is  essen- 
tial and  this  must  be  so  arranged  as  to  allow  the  air  to  circu- 
late through  every  part  of  it. 

Access  from  the  feed  room  to  the  root  cellar  below  or  to 


FIG.  4 — SHOWING  SANITARY  COVE  FORMED 
OF  CONCRETE  AT  FOOT  OF  LADDER  STAIRS 


storage  above  should  always  be  had  by  steps  and  not  by  ladder. 
It  is  frequently  necessary  for  the  man  to  carry  something 
above  or  below  which  cannot  be  done  handily  on  a  ladder. 
Fig.  4  shows  the  usual  type  of  such  steps,  with  the  bottom 


THECOWBARN  27 

of  the  stringer  raised  upon  a  concrete  base  to  avoid  the  sharp 
angle  of  the  stringer  with  the  floor. 

MILK  ROOM. — In  the  larger  establishment  a  milk  room 
at  the  barn  is  desirable,  where  should  be  placed  the  usual 
twenty-quart  can  into  which  the  milk  from  the  milkers'  pails 
is  poured.  Here  the  scales  and  records  of  each  cow  are  kept, 
and  the  basins  are  placed  in  which  the  men  wash  their  hands 
after  each  milldng.  This  milk  room  is  entered  by  double- 
swinging  doors  which  must  be  opened  by  the  milker  pushing 
them  with  his  elbows  and  not  with  his  hands.  If  special  care 
is  required  the  milk  room  may  be  separated  from  the  cow 
barn  by  two  doors.  For  the  smaller  problem  an  alcove  may 
be  formed  at  the  cow  barn,  where  a  wash-basin  and  towel  are 
placed.  A  milk  room  may  be  placed  at  the  end  of  a  passage- 
way and  adjoin  the  dairy,  all  of  which  arrangements  may  be 
seen  in  subsequent  plans.  The  real  reason  for  this  room  is 
to  provide  a  place  that  may  be  kept  free  from  flies,  odors  and 
dust.  If  the  cow  bam  is  such  a  place  (and  it  should  be) 
then  the  necessity  for  a  milk  room  diminishes  and,  as  will  be 
seen  from  some  of  the  plans,  it  has  occasionally  been  omitted, 
in  the  hope  that  ideal  conditions  at  the  cow  bam  may  prevail 
and  that  the  milk  room  may  not  be  required.  These  ideals 
however,  have  seldom  been  realized. 

LOCATION  OF  CATTLE.— The  milking  cows  must  al- 
ways be  kept  separate  from  the  young  stock  and  the  dry  cows, 
and  to  avoid  all  confusion  as  to  what  class  of  cattle  is  meant, 
cows  giving  milk  vnW.  be  designated  as  milking  cows,  the 
others  as  dry  stock  or  young  stock.  A  greater  degree  of 
cleanliness  is  necessary  for  the  milking  cows,  and  conse- 
quently they  should  be  in  an  apartment  by  themselves,  away 
from  the  dry  stock,  young  stock  and  all  other  animals.    This 


28  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

separation  is  so  important  that  it  cannot  be  insisted  upon 
too  strongly. 

The  best  exposure  for  the  cow  barn  is  undoubtedly  with  its 
long  axis  northwest  and  southeast ;  this  places  the  building  so 
that  it  will  receive  the  greatest  benefit  from  the  cooling  sum- 
mer breezes  and  the  warming  winter  sun;  and  the  wmdows 
should  be  large  and  numerous  so  as  to  be  effective  in  both 
seasons.^  The  separate  vnng  for  the  cows  which  gives  air  on 
three,  if  not  four,  sides  is  a  much  better  plan  than  to  quarter 
them  within  a  building  which  limits  their  exposure  to  only 
one  or  two  sides.  Care  should  also  be  taken  so  to  place  other 
structures  of  the  farm  group  that  they  will  not  deprive  the 
animals,  whether  cows  or  horses,  of  the  sun  and  air  which 
they  need.  Fig.  3  illustrates  a  typical  plan  for  housing  a  herd 
of  fourteen  milking  cows,  four  dry  stock,  seven  young  stock 
and  a  bull.  The  necessary  calf  and  calving  pens  are  provided. 
These  latter  are  interchangeable  and  are  used  for  the  cow  to 
have  her  calf  in,  also  for  the  rearing  of  the  young  animal.  It 
is  possible,  and  in  fact  desirable,  in  a  herd  of  this  size,  to  ac- 
commodate aU  the  cattle — young  stock,  dry  stock  and  milking 
cows — under  one  roof.  One  compartment  has  been  provided 
for  the  milking  cows  and  another  for  the  young  stock,  dry 
stock  and  the  buU ;  connecting  with  the  former  is  the  covered 
passage  to  the  dairy;  with  the  latter  is  the  feed  room  with  a 
place  already  noted  for  the  cleaning  and  keeping  of  the  va- 

1  Those  who  wish  to  go  more  carefully  into  the  placing  of  a  building  with  regard  to 
its  exposure,  will  be  much  interested  in  a  little  volume,  "The  Orientation  of  Buildings 
or  Planning  for  Sunlight,"  by  William  Atkinson — John  Wiley  &  Sons,  New  York,  1912. 
Mr.  Atkinson  points  out  very  clearly  the  importance  of  the  orientation  of  the  hospital 
and  shows  how  the  plan  may  be  devised  so  that  no  part  of  the  adjoining  ground  need 
be  in  complete  shadow  cast  by  the  walls  of  the  building.  Such  an  arrangement  of  plan 
is  doubly  desirable  for  the  farm  building,  and  for  the  commercial  building  where  artistic 
considerations  are  ignored,  this  point  should  never  be  neglected. 


TOOL  IlOLSli  IX   TllK   WOODS,  SKVl.ANDS   1  Ali.M.  Sli:i;i  INOION,   X.   'i'. 


OLD  FARM  BUTI.DIXGS  OX  I.OXG  ISLAXD— ARTISTIC,  BUT  UXSAXTl  AliV 


THECOWBARN"  29 

rious  utensils  of  the  cow  barn — ^pitchforks,  shovels,  brooms, 
brushes,  curry-combs,  etc.  It  is  always  better  to  locate  the 
young  stock  between  the  milking  cows  and  the  feed  room,  as 
the  milking  cows  should  not  be  disturbed  by  traffic  through 
their  quarters  into  the  young  stock  barn. 

In  planning  for  a  given  munber  of  animals,  it  is  necessary 
to  know  approximately  what  ratio  exists  between  the  milking 
cows,  dry  stock  and  young  stock,  so  that  the  proper  accommo- 
dations for  each  may  be  provided.  This  ratio  is  variable 
according  to  conditions.  The  owner  may  not  desire  to  raise 
his  yoimg  stock,  though  in  this  case  he  loses  one  of  the  most 
attractive  and  interesting  occupations  of  the  farm ;  but  if  he 
does,  and  the  natural  conditions  prevail,  from  thirty  per  cent, 
to  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  entire  herd  wiU  be  young  stock  or  dry 
stock.  Or,  if  he  starts  with  a  munber  of  milking  cows,  accom- 
modations for  from  fifty  per  cent,  to  seventy-five  per  cent,  of 
that  munber  wiU  be  required  for  his  young  stock  and  dry 
stock.  There  should  be  one  calf  pen  for  every  four  or  five 
milking  cows  in  smaU  herds,  and  this  proportion  may  be  re- 
duced to  one  calf  pen  for  every  ten  cows  in  the  larger  herds.    '' 

MATERIALS. — The  material  for  the  interior  surface  of 
the  cow  bam  is  selected  with  a  view  toward  the  elimination  of 
all  wood.  Even  in  a  wooden  structure  the  interior  walls  can 
be  entirely  covered  with  non-absorbent  materials,  which  ren- 
der it  possible  to  make  a  wooden  building  just  as  sanitary  as 
one  of  masonry.  To  get  this  result  it  is  necessary  that  the 
walls  to  the  height  of  3  ft.,  8  in.  or  4  ft.  above  the  floor  (or 
to  the  under  side  of  the  windowsills)  be  plastered  in  Port- 
land cement,  using  the  same  mixture  as  for  the  top  coating 
of  the  concrete  floor,  and  forming  a  cement  dado  all  around 
the  building.     This  cement  dado,  as  well  as  the  plastering 


30  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

above,  is  best  put  on  galvanized  iron  lath.  Above  this  point 
the  walls  and  ceilings  are  plastered  in  the  usual  manner  but 
finished  with  some  hard  substance,  such  as  Keene's  cement. 
To  reduce  cost  slightly  the  ordinary  hard-finish  plastering  on 
wooden  lath  above  the  cement  dado  gives  fairly  satisfactory 
results,  and  it  is  weU  to  observe  here  that  plastering  of  the 
simplest  kind  is  very  much  better  than  the  old-fashioned 
method  of  sheathing  with  wood  and  varnishing  the  interior 
of  stables.  To  this  method  there  is  every  objection — the 
woodwork  is  absorbent  in  spite  of  the  varnish,  the  varnish 
deteriorates  in  a  very  short  time,  it  makes  a  dark  stable,  and 
is  more  expensive  than  the  plastering.  AH  offsets  in  the  plas- 
tering should  be  carefully  avoided  and  3-in.  coves  run  at 
all  interior  angles,  while  all  exterior  angles  should  be  rounded. 
Where  the  cement  dado  and  the  white  plastering  on  the  side 
walls  come  together  it  is  never  desirable  to  make  a  joint;  let 
the  mason  finish  the  two  materials  as  smoothly  together  as 
possible.  At  the  connection  a  4-in.  stripe  may  be  painted, 
which,  however,  must  be  done  in  some  damp-resisting  paint, 
as  the  ordinary  oil  paint  would  be  discolored  by  the  action 
of  the  cement. 

It  is  possible  to  avoid  all  wood  in  the  interior  of  the  cow 
barn,  except  in  the  doors  and  window  sash.  In  some  in- 
stances, where  perfection  has  been  sought,  iron  window  frames 
and  doors  have  been  installed,  but  they  are  much  more  expen- 
sive, being  harder  to  set  and  to  repair,  and  rather  more  likely 
than  wood  to  need  repair,  so  that  wooden  doors  and  window 
sash  seem  to  answer  all  requirements,  even  from  the  strictest 
hygienic  standpoint.  The  doors,  however,  are  better  if 
sheathed  smooth  on  the  inside  than  paneled  in  the  ordinary 
fashion.    The  idea  of  doing  away  with  all  dust-catching  pro- 


THE   COW   BARN 


31 


jections  should  be  carried  out  even  to  the  very  smallest  detail. 
This  point  cannot  be  insisted  on  too  strongly,  for  it  is  aston- 
ishing how  the  dust  from  the  hay  will  collect  wherever  it  can 
find  lodgment;  for  this  reason  even  the  muntins  in  the  win- 


TCH 


LATH 


|i.A,FTE.R5 
Z4-"  O. 


O  i'        A'        &■ 

I  ■!     I     I     I     I     (     I 

FIG.  5. — SECTION  THROUGH  A  COW  BABN  18  FT.  WIDE 


IOI>JQ 
9KPe.f- 
HEATTHINQ 

STUD  J  ix  V' 
■2.A-*  O.  c. 


CONCRETE. 


dow  sash  are  designed  without  moldings,  while  all  horizontal 
muntins  are  best  omitted  entirely. 

SIZES. — The  various  State  legislatures  in  the  United 
States  require  that  cow  stables  shall  allow  a  volume  of  from 
five  hundred  to  eight  hundred  cubic  feet  of  air  per  cow,  but 
an  average  between  these  will  be  all  that  is  necessary.  This, 
reduced  to  the  simplest  formula,  will  work  out  about  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Cow  stables  for  double  rows  of  cows  should  have  a  minimum 


32 


MODEEN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


width  of  36  ft. ;  for  a  single  row  of  cows,  a  minimum  width 
of  18  ft.  The  height  of  the  ceiling  can  vary  from  8  ft.  to  10 
ft.;  in  colder  climates  the  lesser  dimension,  and  in  warmer 
the  greater  one.  Cow  stables  for  double  rows  of  cows  have 
been  made  as  wide  as  42  ft.,  but  this  is  too  wide;  it  makes  a 
cold  stable  in  winter  and  the  extra  width  involves  a  needless 
expense.    A  width  of  36  ft.  is  sufficient  for  stables  where  the 


SHIMGL.CS 
.SHIMQLE.    LATH 
RAFTERS    2-\\o' 
2.4-'  O  c 


PITCH     8-0'  ON     IZ-O* 


.SiDi  MQ 

Paper 
-SmcathiwG 
-ixs*  STUDS 

2.4-'  O.  c. 

.siLi-  -^Vs' 

CpNCRETt. 


-  tS'STONt 


FIG.  6— SECTION  THROUGH  A  COW  BARN  36  FT.  WIDE 

2-f t.  trough  is  used,  and  38  ft.  or  39  ft.  where  the  wide  trough 
is  contemplated.  Figs.  5  and  6  will  show  the  exact  dimen- 
sions of  passageways,  troughs,  gutters,  etc.,  in  an  18-ft.  and 
a  36-ft.  cow  stable.  It  is  always  desirable  to  have  a  passage- 
way entirely  around  the  cows,  though  in  smaller  farm  build- 
ings the  passageway  may  be  omitted  at  one  end. 

ARRANGEMENT  OF  CATTLE.— For  double  rows  of 
cattle  it  is  generally  conceded  that  placing  them  face  to  face 
is  the  best,  as  it  also  is  the  most  sightly  arrangement.  It  has 
the  advantage  of  simplifying  the  process  of  feeding ;  it  brings 


INTERIOR  OF  A  COMMERCIAL  COW  BARN 


COW  BARX    IXTKKIOU,   SIIOWIXC   STHKI.   STAXCIIIOXS   AXI)   ALSO   AX 
EXCELLENT  TYRE  OF  THE  FEEDIXG-TROL'GH— LOW  AXL)  BROAD 


THECOWBARN  33 

the  gutters  next  to  the  windows,  where  the  sunshine  will  steril- 
ize them;  and  it  gives  the  niilker  more  light  for  his  work — a 
decided  advantage  on  diill  days. 

The  worst  feature  of  placing  the  cows  with  their  tails  to- 
gether, is  that  the  manure  dropping  in  one  gutter  will  some- 
times splash  across  an  8-ft.  passageway  and  on  to  the  udders 
of  the  cattle  opposite.  It  can  readily  be  seen  that  this  is  im- 
desirable  and  especially  so  at  the  actual  time  of  milking,  when 
not  only  the  milker  and  his  pail  may  be  fouled,  but  the  milk 
itself.  Though  this  perhaps  may  be  of  rare  occurrence,  the 
bare  possibility  of  such  a  thing  should  be  effectually  guarded 
against.  It  is  frequently  convenient,  however,  to  put  the 
young  stock  or  dry  stock,  tails  together,  as  will  be  shown  later ; 
this  arrangement  generally  simplifies  the  tracking  for  the 
manui'e  trolley.  The  passageway  between  the  cows,  when 
they  are  placed  head  to  head,  should  always  be  kept  wide 
enough  to  prevent  one  cow  from  breathing  in  the  face  of  the 
one  opposite.  On  a  cold  winter's  morning  an  occasional  sigh 
or  cough  will  send  the  frosted  breath  almost  across  an  8-ft. 
passageway,  so  that  the  distance  between  the  troughs  should 
never  be  less  than  this.  Also,  in  order  not  to  pocket  the  air 
in  front  of  the  cattle,  the  front  of  the  feeding-trough  should 
be  low.  High  feeding-troughs  or  mangers  are  undesirable, 
as  they  do  not  afford  an  unrestricted  circulation  of  air  at  the 
animal's  head. 

The  principal  advantage  claimed  by  those  who  prefer  the 
cows  facing  the  windows,  is  that  they  get  fresher  air  in  this 
position.  Any  stable,  however,  of  36  ft.  to  40  ft.  in  width 
can  be  ventilated  so  that  the  air  in  the  center  will  be  just  as 
fresh  as  the  air  at  the  outside.  Very  few  stables  have  been 
built  in  America  of  greater  width  than  that  required  for  two 


34  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

rows  of  cows,  and  such  stables  are  not  to  be  tolerated,  for 
the  very  reason  that  the  building  becomes  so  wide  that  it  is 
impossible  to  ventilate  it  at  the  center.  Such  a  structure  too 
is  usually  so  full  of  posts,  girders  and  the  framing  necessary 
for  the  center  skylights,  that  it  is  out  of  the  question  ever  to 
keep  it  in  the  condition  of  cleanliness  demanded  by  modern 
milk  methods.  It  is  practicable  to  extend  the  36-ft.  barn  in 
length,  so  that  one  building  may  contain  a  hundred,  or  even 
two  hundred  cows,  but  this  is  desirable  only  in  the  large  herds 
of  four,  jfive  or  sis  hundred  animals.  It  is  generally  better 
to  make  the  unit  a  smaller  one  and  not  to  have  more  than 
fifty  or  sixty  cows  in  one  building.  Nor  is  it  ever  weU  to 
have  more  than  twenty  cows  in  a  row,  without  a  j)assageway 
between  them,  and  there  are  herdsmen  who  have  felt  that 
even  this  is  too  great  a  number.  But  if  we  consider  that  the 
work  in  the  cow  barn  is  always  down  the  length  of  the  stable 
and  not  across  the  width  of  it,  we  shall  conclude  that  a  3-ft. 
passageway  between  every  twenty  or  twenty-five  cows  is 
quite  sufficient. 

A  certain  advantage  was  thought  to  be  gained  by  making  a 
Avide  passageway  through  the  width  of  the  stable  so  that  a 
wagonload  of  green  fodder  could  be  driven  into  1;he  building 
and  unloaded  in  the  central  passageway  between  the  cows. 
The  advantage,  however,  of  the  arrangement  is  questionable, 
since  the  position  of  the  manure  track,  as  it  hangs  from  the 
ceiling,  necessitates  a  low  load,  and_  in  any  case  the  driving 
in  of  horses  causes  commotion,  which  is  objectionable  and  on 
every  ground  to  be  avoided.  This  feature,  although  incor- 
porated in  the  design  of  several  buildings  erected  under  the 
author's  supervision,  has  never  been  used,  the  farmer  seeming 
to  prefer  to  unload  his  fresh  fodder  upon  a  concrete  platform 


THE   COW   BARN 


35 


at  the  end  of  the  stable,  where  it  is  easily  pushed  down  the 
central  passageway  rather  than  carried  upon  a  wagon  right 
into  the  building. 

COW  STALLS. — In  the  past  six  or  eight  years  various 
methods  of  fastening  cattle  have  been  devised,  from  the  san- 
itary as  well  as  the  humane  standpoint,  but  practice  and  expe- 


Tf        f 


■t      .  1.1  L 


FOR    MILKING  CCW3   AND  DRY  STOCf, 


rA 


^ 


STALl_S  Ol"  li' GALVANIZED  iRcM 
PIPE.-  TEES  ON  BtNDS  TO  B£. 
RE.A.ME-0    TO    ALI.OW     UPR.IGMTS 

TO     PA.S*    THROUGH 

Al.l_  riTTINGS  G*i-V  MALJ_tABLt 
IRON     WITHOUT     be  ADS 


ELEVATION    LDOKINQ   TOWARD    fRONT 

■     '•     f    r    r    r 


r 


SMOOTH  rmiSH 


AL(_    STANCHIOWS     StT     6y  THIS 
MC.ASL«.e.MENT-     THIS     PElJULATES 
THE     HtlGMT   or   TOP    RA.II_- 
H  ft  N  a     STANC  HION     IN     TRAMC 
To     OE     Sure.    MtlQHT    IS  CORRtCT 
BtfORL      DOING     AHT   CONCRtTI^S 


ir  CORK  nx>R 

IS  NOT  USE  I  TMt 
CONCRtTE  15  TC) 
HAVE   A   PLpAT 

inNISH 


^JHJi'  ' 


^ 


i^      n.o'-T    piHisw 


w 


CROSS     5LCT10N 

FIG.   7— DETAIL   OF   COW   STALLS   AND    STANCHIONS.      SEE   ALSO    PHOTOGRAPH 

FACING  PAGE   32 

rienee  have  proved  beyond  doubt  that  the  steel  stanchion, 
showTi  in  Fig.  7,  is  the  most  sanitary  way  of  fastening  and  is 
entirely  humane.  All  the  other  methods  are  much  less  satis- 
factory and  we  shall  discuss  only  one.  Fastening  the  cow 
with  a  tie  is  sometimes  adopted  in  order  to  give  the  animal 


36  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


greater  liberty ;  this  requires  chains  on  the  stalls  and  a  collar 
on  the  cow,  both  of  which  are  hard  to  keep  clean.  In  order 
to  fasten  the  cow  with  the  tie,  the  herdsman  has  to  reach  over 
the  animal  to  make  one  side  fast.  His  eyes  and  face  are  al- 
ways in  danger  from  her  horns  and  when  the  cattle  have  been 
out  in  the  rain  his  clothes  become  saturated  with  water  before 
his  task  of  tying  them  is  completed.  The  liberty  of  the  ani- 
mal fastened  with  a  tie,  while  a  little  greater,  is  such  as  to 
give  her  too  much  freedom.  With  the  stancliions,  the  cow 
is  kept  more  in  place  in  the  stall,  so  that  the  manure  drops 
into  the  gutter.  It  is  very  important  for  the  cleanliness  of 
the  herd  to  keep  all  the  droppings  in  the  gutters  and  away 
from  the  stall  floors,  lest  the  cow  lie  down  in  her  own  manure 
and  foul  herself.  This  the  stanchion,  more  rigid  than  the  tie, 
largely  prevents,  and  cattle  soon  become  accustomed  to  the 
stanchion  and  are  entirely  comfortable  in  it.  An  illustration 
facing  this  page  shows  pipe  stall  partitions  arranged  for  the 
tie. 

To  hold  the  stanchions  a  pipe  stall  is  the  ideal  arrange- 
ment; it  is  sanitary,  sightly,  and  gives  excellent  ventilation, 
though  care  must  be  used  in  its  construction  to  avoid  all 
imnecessary  bolts  and  dust-catching  crevices,  for  these 
require  constant  cleaning.  The  pipe  partition  between  the 
cows  has  always  been  considered  almost  necessary  in  or- 
der to  prevent  one  cow  from  stepping  on  another,  but  in 
several  stables  these  have  been  omitted  by  owners  who 
felt  that  this  theory  would  not  be  proved  in  practice. 
In  some  instances  it  has  been  and  in  others  not.  While 
the  animal  is  injured  less  by  the  proximity  of  her  neighbor 
than  would  be  supposed,  yet  such  injuries  do  occur,  and 
though  the  partition  pipes  may  be  omitted  for  the  Grade  herd 


THECOWBARN  37 

they  certainly  sliould  not  be  omitted  in  the  housing  of  cattle 
which  are  at  all  valuable. 

The  distance  in  width  from  stall  to  stall  is  3  ft.,  6  in.  for 
average  cows;  3  ft.  for  young  stock,  and  where  special  room 
is  required  for  oxen  or  cattle  of  unusual  size  the  stalls  may 
be  made  3  ft.,  8  in.  in  width,  but  this  is  seldom  necessary. 
For  the  mature  animal  the  stall  floor  should  measure  from  4 
'ft.,  6  in.  to  5  ft.  in  length,  and  from  4  ft.  to  4  ft.,  6  in.  for 
young  stock.  For  Jerseys  and  Guernseys  the  stall  length  is 
4  ft.,  6  in.  to  4  ft.,  8  in.,  and  for  Holsteins  4  ft.,  8  in.  to  5  ft., 
the  length  being  the  distance  from  the  edge  of  the  gutter  to 
the  stall  side  of  the  concrete  ridge  below  the  stanchion  which 
separates  the  stall  from  the  feeding-trough  (Fig.  7).  It 
is  always  advisable  in  a  long  row  of  stalls  to  have  them  4  ft., 
6  in.  in  length  at  one  end  of  the  row  and  4  ft.,  8  in.  or  4  ft., 
9  in.  at  the  other,  slanting  the  gutter  and  giving  stalls  of 
varying  lengths  where  animals  of  different  sizes  or  of  indi- 
vidual habits  may  be  accommodated.  This  slanting  of  the 
gutter  is  especially  desirable  for  the  young  stock,  where  the 
stalls  may  vary  in  length  from  4  ft.  to  4  ft.,  6  in.,  and  a  gutter 
so  slanted  may  be  noticed  on  the  plan  of  the  young  stock  barn 
in  Fig.  3. 

The  stall  floors  must  be  of  some  sanitary  material,  and  con- 
crete has  been  generally  used,  but  this  has  the  objection  of 
being  cold  in  winter.  It  is  possible  to  cover  the  concrete  stall 
floors  with  temporary  wooden  ones  which  can  be  removed  in 
summer ;  though  the  wooden  floors  need  attention  and  become 
foul  without  it.  Wood  blocks,  creosoted,  are  good,  and  while 
these  are  much  warmer  than  concrete,  they  are  not  so  sanitary, 
as  they  become  absorbent  in  time.  Cork  brick,  at  the  time 
of  writing,  have  been  upon  the  market  two  years  or  more, 


38  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

and  these  ought  to  be,  by  all  appearances,  the  most  satisfac- 
tory material  for  the  stall  floor  yet  devised.  They  are  warm, 
not  nearly  so  hard  as  concrete,  practically  non-absorbent,  and 
seem  to  wear  well.  They  should  be  laid  in  cement,  not  in  tar 
or  asphalt,  and,  to  facilitate  drainage,  with  the  long  joints 
down  the  stall  and  not  across  it.  These  brick  if  laid  in  tar 
are  objectionable,  as  the  heat  from  the  cow  lying  on  them  is 
sufficient  to  melt  the  tar  and  cause  it  to  stick  to  the  hair  of 
the  animal.  In  the  concrete  stall  and  underneath  it  it  is 
usual,  but  practically  useless,  to  waterproof  the  concrete 
where  the  animal  stands.  This  is  done  as  an  insulation 
against  cold  and  dampness  which  might  strike  through  the 
floor  of  the  stall.  An  insulation  of  tar  and  tar  paper  will 
not  keep  out  cold.  It  will  keep  out  dampness,  but  no  cow 
barn  should  ever  be  built  on  groimd  so  damp  that  concrete 
floors  have  to  be  waterproofed  in  order  to  be  dry.  In  the 
stall  the  insulation  of  the  concrete  floor  against  cold  is  abso- 
lutely essential  for  the  comfort  of  the  animal,  but  this  insula- 
tion should  be  had  above  the  concrete  floor  and  not  below  it. 
Much  better  than  the  usual  waterjDroofing  underneath  the 
stall  is  to  reenforce  the  floor  slab  at  this  point  and  excavate  a 
foot  or  so  of  the  earth  beneath  it.  This  keeps  the  floor  en- 
tirely above  the  ground  and  is  infinitely  better  in  assuring 
dryness  than  any  waterproofing.  In  fact,  by  extending  the 
foundations  of  the  gutters  and  troughs  as  shown  in  Fig.  5, 
and  reenforcing  the  concrete,  the  entire  floor  throughout  the 
stable  may  be  raised  above  groimd.  This  construction  costs 
very  little  more  than  the  usual  method  of  laying  the  floor 
directly  upon  the  earth,  and  is  greatly  to  be  desired. 

The  stall  floor  should  pitch  l^/o  in.  in  its  length  from  the 
stanchion  back  to  the  gutter,  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  su- 


THE    COW   BARN 


39 


perstition  that  this  slant  of  the  stall  floor  is  uncomfortable  or 
xmhealthy  for  the  cattle,  causing  them  to  abort  or  to  other- 
wise injure  themselves.  A  ly^-w..  pitch  to  the  stall  floor  is 
necessary  for  quick  drainage.  At  the  side  of  the  outside 
stalls,  i.  e.,  the  end  stalls  adjoining  the  passageway,  there 
should  be  a  ridge  of  concrete,  5  in.  or  6  in,  high,  to  hold  the 
bedding  within  the  stall  and  also  to  prevent  the  water  in 
hosing  down  from  wetting  it,     (Fig,  13.) 

CALF  PENS. — The  smallest  dimension  of  the   calf  or 
calving  pen  is  8  ft.  wide  by  11  ft.  in  length.     It  may  be  made 


i'    CHA.MMEL- 


S-6- 


;H 


8'-o'     OR     MORE. 


i^5 


WOOD    PINS 


x'xs" 


lV4" 


2.'xe" 


;  }x      ? 


°  H 


,CONCPETE 
PABTITIOM 


.2.*  CHANNEL 


/'■S- 


riG.   8— DETAIL  OF  MOVABLE   CALF   PEN  PARTITION 

larger  if  convenient  to  do  so,  but  not  smaller,  as  a  cow  needs 
this  amount  of  space  to  calve  in.  This  size  pen  may  be  sub- 
divided by  a  movable  partition  (Fig.  8)  when  it  is  desired 
to  keep  two  calves  in  the  one  pen.  The  calf  pen  partitions 
are  usually  made  of  solid  concrete  3  ft.,  8  in.  high,  and  where 
solid  should  be  kept  as  low  as  this  so  that  the  animal  within 
may  get  as  much  air  as  possible.  Occasionally  a  particularly 
agile  cow  will  jump  over  a  3  ft.,  8  in.  partition  and  start  to 
leave  the  confines  of  her  habitation  for  the  freedom  of  the 


40 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


pasture.  This  happens  so  seldom,  however,  that  a  partition 
3  ft.,  8  in.  high  is  sufficient.  The  doors  are  usually  of  iron, 
and  when  solid  a  space  underneath  should  be  left  for  ventila- 
tion, while  upon  the  floor  at  the  opening,  a  ridge  of  concrete 

PLAN    AND  ■  ELL  VAT  I  ON  J"     OF    CALF     PLNJ" 


CURB   LI  QftTEWft^ 


ELEVATION    OF     PENS 


FIG.  9— DETAIL  OF  CALF  PENS 


SECTION    SHOWmG  THE 
OPENINQ  AT  THE  BELLTBHP 


should  be  formed  to  prevent  the  water  used  in  hosing  down 
the  passageway  from  wetting  the  bedding,  and  also  to  hold 
the  bedding  within  the  stall.  What  seems  a  better  partition 
is  the  type  shown  in  Fig.  9 — a  concrete  wall  3  ft.  high,  with 
a  pipe  12  in.  above  it.  This  allows  better  ventilation.  The 
wooden  slatted  partition  is  good  but  it  is  hard  to  keep  clean, 


\    lUl.I.   YARD   KKNCR  OK   TWO-INCH   IMPK 


;  I  1  \  1 . 1 1  i  \ .  .V.  y. 


THECOWBARN  41 

and  the  calf  pen  enclosure  is  one  that  needs  constant  attention 
in  regard  to  cleanliness.  The  floors  are  always  of  concrete, 
but  here,  as  in  the  cow  stall,  the  cork  brick  may  be  used  to 
advantage.  In  sandy  soils  the  concrete  floors  may  be  omitted 
entirely,  though  the  sand  is  absorbent  and  needs  to  be  removed 
much  oftener  than  is  usual.  It  is  better  on  the  whole  for  the 
cow  to  have  her  calf  in  a  stall  with  a  concrete  floor,  which 
can  be  weU  hosed  down  and  easily  disinfected.  The  calf  pens 
should  always  have  a  sheltered  exposure,  and  in  large  plans 
where  many  young  stock  are  to  be  provided  for,  nothing  is 
better  than  to  give  them  Dutch  doors  into  little  yards  or  runs 
of  their  own.  A  separate  yard  for  young  stock  is  always 
an  advantage. 

BULL  PENS.— The  buU  is  better  kept  with  the  rest  of  the 
cattle  than  by  himself,  for  he  is  always  better  natured  and 
more  tractable  when  he  can  see  the  other  animals.  His  pen, 
usually  with  a  post  in  the  center,  should  not  be  smaller  than 
12x14  ft.,  and  if  this  is  made  14x14  ft.  the  square  pen  has  an 
advantage.  It  is  always  well  to  give  the  bull  a  yard  and 
arrange  his  quarters  so  that  he  may  go  in  or  out  as  he  pleases. 
He  appreciates  the  privilege  of  the  latchkey.  The  partitions 
of  his  pen,  always  solid,  and  the  more  substantial  the  better, 
are  best  increased  a  foot  over  the  3  ft.,  8  in.  height,  and  this 
can  be  done  by  putting  a  2  in.  pipe  rail  on  top,  for  to  raise  the 
solid  partition  to  that  height  would  shut  out  too  much  air. 

The  bull's  yard  may  be  at  a  distance  from  his  quarters;  if 
so  it  is  well  to  give  him  a  shelter  there.  An  exercising  pole 
(Plate  facing  this  page)  is  sometimes  an  advantage,  especially 
when  he  does  not  brim  over  with  geniality.  Secured  to  this, 
he  may  exercise  and  still  have  a  tincture  of  confinement  in  his 
liberty,  frequently  appreciated  by  the  man  who  takes  care  of 


42  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

him.  The  Plate  facing  page  41  shows  the  bull's  enclosure 
formed  of  2-in.  pipe — an  excellent  enclosure  on  account  of  its 
ventilation,  and  while  it  offers  effective  confinement  it  does 
not  obscure  the  visitor's  view  of  its  occupant. 

WATERING-  AND  FEEDING-TROUGHS.— The  old- 
fashioned  way  was  to  feed  the  cows  in  their  mangers  and  to 
let  them  drink  from  buckets.  About  fifteen  years  ago  there 
came  into  the  market  a  separate  watering-trough,  put  on  or 
near  the  stanchions  and  controlled  by  a  central  leveling  tank. 
This  device  for  watering  the  cows  takes  away  from  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  water,  while  the  troughs  themselves,  hard  to  keep 
clean,  were  invariably  filled  with  the  dust  and  dirt  of  the 
stable,  but  the  object  of  this  trough  was  to  give  each  animal 
a  separate  watering  device  and  to  keep  water  which  has  been 
contaminated  by  the  saliva  of  one  animal  from  being  used 
by  another.  This  object  was  accomplished.  Latterly  it  has 
been  the  custom  to  feed  and  water  the  cattle  in  one  contin- 
uous trough  running  the  whole  length  of  a  line  of  cows.  This 
process  of  feeding  and  watering  is  convenient,  the  long  trough 
is  easy  to  clean,  and  its  use  is  general.  Still  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  cows  so  watered  are  more  liable  to  infection,  one 
from  the  other,  than  when  they  eat  and  drink  out  of  separate 
receptacles.  The  study  of  bacteria  has  demonstrated  that 
the  secretions  from  the  mouth  are  alive  with  germs,  and  cows 
in  particular  have  mouths  that  exude  quantities  of  saliva 
which  in  the  natural  process  of  feeding  is  deposited  in  many 
directions.  In  high-grade  cattle  it  is  undoubtedly  well  to 
take  precaution  against  possible  infection  at  the  feeding- 
trough,  and  to  feed  and  water  in  a  trough  divided  into  sep- 
arate compartments.  This  arrangement  is  shown  facing  this 
page.    No  doubt  this  type  of  trough  increases,  though  not  ma- 


CONTINUOUS  FEEDING-TROUGH,  DIVIDED  BY  RODS  ONLY 


FEEDIXG-TROLGH    1)1\  ll)i:i)    INTO   (.O-Ml'ART.MEXTS 


THE   COW   BARN 


43 


terially,  the  labor  required  in  keeping  it  clean;  nevertheless, 
for  valuable  cattle  and  for  careful  methods  the  divided  trough 
is  to  be  recommended,  and  it  is  not  in  such  general  use  as  it 
should  be.  This  idea  of  separate  feeding  and  watering  may 
be  less  rigidly  carried  out  by  dividing  the  general  feeding 
trough  so  that  tu'o  cows  eat  from  the  same  compartment.  If 
this  method  is  used,  the  outlet  is  best  placed  in  the  center 


PASSAOE 
,FLOOR       US. 


^-P- 


I I I 


FIG.    10— FEEDIXG-TROUGH  WITH  FRONT   EDGE   LEVEL 
■WITH   THE   FLOOR   SO    THAT  FEED    PUSHED    OUT   MAY 
BE    READILY    SWEPT    BACK 


between  the  cows,  where  the  water  and  feed  will  be  drained 
away  from  each  animal. 

For  the  commercial  herd  the  continuous  trough  is  pre- 
ferred, and  to  support  this  preference  it  is  pointed  out  that 
while  cows  may  infect  each  other  by  eating  and  drinking  out 
of  the  same  receptacle,  yet  it  is  impossible  to  keep  them  from 
infecting  each  other  in  various  other  ways,  under  usual  con- 
ditions and  in  the  natural  habits  of  the  animal,  such  as  in 
grazing  over  the  same  pasture,  in  rubbing  and  scratching 
on  the  same  post  or  corner,  and  especially  in  licking  one  an- 
other; so  that  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  try  and  avoid  one 
means  of  infection  where  there  are  many  others  which  cannot 
be  avoided  without  undue  labor  and  expense.    To  protect  life 


44 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


by  stopping  the  si^read  of  contagious  disease  is  one  of  the 
great  impulses  of  modern  science,  and  it  is  pretty  well  estab- 
lished that  modern  science  demands  that  the  herd  be  tested 
for  tuberculosis  every  six  months,  no  matter  what  the  tjqoe 
of  feeding-trough,  and  any  uifected  cow  immediately  isolated. 
There  are  two  types  of  the  continuous  feeding-trough,  one 
(Fig.  10)  some  two  feet  in  width  and  nearly  level  with  the 
floor,  designed  with  the  object  of  sweeping  back  the  feed 
which  the  cows  invariably  push  out  in  the  process  of  eating ; 


■3-'-o" 


PASSAGE' 
FLOOR 


STALL 
FLOOR 


12' 
zd    . 


FIG.     11— FEED    TROUGH    WITH    FRONT    EDGE    14    IN. 
ABOVE   THE    FLOOR   SO   THAT  THE   FEED    MAY   BE   RE- 
TAINED   WITHIN    THE    TROUGH 


the  other  (Fig.  11),  3  ft.,  6  in.  in  width,  its  front  extended 
well  above  the  floor  and  constnicted  with  a  view  to  retaining 
as  much  as  possible  of  the  feed  in  the  trough.  The  latter  is 
the  better  both  in  principle  and  practice.  The  cows'  feed 
should  be  kept  off  the  floor  and  the  dust  and  dirt  of  the  floor 
kept  out  of  the  troughs.  The  study  of  bovine  tuberculosis 
has  demonstrated  clearly  that  tuberculosis  of  the  intestines 
is  much  more  prevalent  than  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs.  The 
germs  of  intestinal  tuberculosis  are  thrown  off  with  the 
manure  and  are  of  necessity  deposited,  not  only  in  the  gutters, 
but  generally  around  the  yards  and  entrances  to  the  building. 


THECOWBARN  45 

No  matter  how  careful  the  man  who  works  in  the  stable  may 
be  in  matters  of  cleanliness,  he  can  hardly  help  carrying  on 
his  shoes  particles  of  manure  which  when  he  walks  in  the 
central  passageway  will  be  deposited  there  upon  the  floor.  In 
the  sweeping  back  of  the  feed,  pushed  out  on  the  floor  by  the 
cows,  particles  of  manure,  minute  though  they  be,  are  neces- 
sarily swept  back  with  it.  These  particles  may  or  may  not 
be  infected  with  the  tubercular  bacilli,  but  certain  it  is  that 
the  surest  way  for  a  cow  to  contract  intestinal  tuberculosis 
is  to  feed  her  the  germs  of  that  infectious  and  dread  disease. 
It  is  apparent,  therefore,  that  it  is  quite  as  important  to  raise 
the  trough  weU  above  the  floor  to  partition  it  from  the  pas- 
sageway, as  it  is  to  partition  it  so  that  the  saliva  of  one  animal 
will  not  be  projected  on  to  the  food  or  into  the  eating  place 
of  another. 

By  using  the  narrower  trough  in  preference  to  the  wider 
one,  it  is  possible  to  save  three  feet  in  the  width  of  the  build- 
ing, but,  notwithstanding  this  reduction  in  expense,  the  wide 
trough  is  well  worth  what  it  costs  and  should  be  adopted 
without  question  for  the  thoroughbred  herd.  The  method 
of  draining  the  troughs,  and  the  plumbing  in  connection  with 
them,  will  be  shown  later,  when  the  plumbing  of  the  cow  bam 
is  described. 

WATER. — On  any  coimtry  estate  there  is  no  luxury  equal 
to  quantities  of  good  water,  and  this  is  particularly  true  witK 
reference  to  the  farm  barn.  Milk  is  composed  of  fat,  pro- 
teids  and  sugar  to  the  amount  of  15  per  cent,  and  water  to 
the  amount  of  85  per  cent.,  so  that  good  water  for  the  cow 
is  absolutely  necessary.  It  is  also  equally  desirable  for  the 
washing  of  all  dairy  utensils,  which  cannot  be  properly  done 
except  in  water  which  is  free  from  sediment  and  odor.    A 


46  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

man  sJiould  not  he  content  tvith  any  water  for  Ids  cattle  tvhich 
he  would  not  use  for  himself. 

FLOOBS  AND  FLOOR  DRAINAGE.— The  floors  of  the 
cow  barn  should  never  be  of  wood,  and  are  invariably  of  con- 
crete 4  in.  thick.  It  is  usual  to  put  the  concrete  floor  do^vn 
in  two  operations :  3  in.  of  rough  floor  mixed  in  the  propor- 
tion of  1  part  Portland  cement  to  3  parts  sand  to  5  parts 
broken  stone  or  gravel;  the  finish  coat,  consisting  of  1  part 
cement  to  1^  or  2  parts  of  sand,  is  then  put  on  the  top,  and 
it  is  imperative  that  this  be  done  within  twenty-four  hours 
after  the  rough  floor  has  been  laid,  otherwise  the  two  layers 
of  concrete  will  not  adhere,  the  rough  usage  of  the  stable 
breaking  the  thin  top  floor  from  the  under  one  in  a  short 
time.  It  is  very  important  that  the  floors  of  the  stable  be 
first-class  in  every  way,  and  therefore  none  but  competent 
and  special  masons  in  this  line  should  be  employed  upon  them. 
The  concrete  floors,  where  the  animal  walks,  are  always  made 
with  a  float  finish  to  avoid  slipping,  and  this  finish  can  hardly 
be  made  too  rough  at  first,  as  it  has  a  tendency  to  wear  smooth ; 
the  gutters,  on  the  other  hand,  the  watering-  and  feeding- 
troughs  and  the  passageway,  where  the  animal  does  not  walk, 
are  troweled  smooth,  that  they  may  be  easily  cleaned.  In  one 
stable  (facing  page  36)  wood  fioors  were  laid  throughout. 
This  was  insisted  upon  by  the  owner  who  said  that  his  barns 
were  not  for  milk,  but  for  the  breeding  and  rearing  of  his 
cattle.  While  admitting  the  force  of  this  plea  in  that  special 
case,  it  nevertheless  remains  true  that  for  clean  milk  the 
wooden  floor  is  on  no  account  to  be  tolerated,  whether  in  barn 
or  dairy. 

An  important  matter  in  the  comfort  of  the  stable  is  the  floor 
drainage,  always  devised  with  as  few  bell  traps  as  possible, 


THECOWBAEN  47 

and  all  floors  drainmg  so  that  the  water  after  hosing  down 
will  run  away  and  leave  the  floor  to  dry  quickly.  In  order  to 
do  this  a  pitch  of  at  least  3-16  in.  to  the  foot  is  necessary,  and 
this  is  a  minimmn  grade ;  y4-in.  to  the  foot  is  frequently  bet- 
ter. It  is  almost  impossible  to  lay  a  long  run  of  concrete  floor 
at  a  pitch  of  %  in.  to  the  foot,  in  such  a  manner  that  hollows 
will  not  be  formed,  where  the  water  will  lie.  The  concrete  is 
also  liable  to  heave  a  little  in  certain  places,  especially  when 
laid  on  filled  ground,  and  any  such  movement  of  the  floor  will 
entirely  destroy  a  grade  of  Yg  in.  to  the  foot.  For  short 
runs,  however,  Yg  in.  will  do,  and  for  certain  places  as  much 
as  %  in.  or  %  in.  to  the  foot  in  pitch  is  not  objectionable.  It 
is  better  to  err  on  the  side  of  too  much  pitch  rather  than  too 
little,  for  there  is  nothing  which  shows  lack  of  care  on  the 
part  of  the  architect  more  than  to  have  the  concrete  floors 
retain  the  water  in  pools  instead  of  readily  conducting  it 
away.  A  drainage  plan  of  the  floors  should  always  be  pro- 
vided, from  which  the  mason  and  the  plumber  both  can  work. 
As  the  beU  traps  are  put  in  before  the  floors,  it  is  very  neces- 
sary that  these  should  be  located  at  exactly  the  proper  levels. 
It  is  astonishing  how  frequently  the  mason  and  plumber, 
when  left  to  themselves,  will  place  a  bell  trap  at  what  seems 
the  very  highest  spot  in  the  floor.  To  overcome  the  combined 
tendencies  of  these  two  gentlemen,  it  is  well  to  indicate  the 
beU  trap  on  the  plan,  located  y^  in.  or  %  in.  helotv  the  grade 
of  the  concrete  floor,  though  even  this  precaution  frequently 
fails. 

It  is  better  to  leave  the  bell  trap  out  of  the  feed  room  and 
to  drain  this  room  into  the  cow  barn  or  yoimg  stock  bam, 
as  the  case  may  be.  A  bell  trap  in  the  feed  room  is  very  lia- 
ble to  be  clogged  by  the  feed,  but  if  one  is  put  here  it  woiild  be 


48  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

well  to  place  it  in  some  out-of-the-way  corner  rather  than  in 
the  center  of  the  room. 

It  is  always  best,  in  rows  of  a  dozen  cattle  or  more,  to  put 
a  bell  trap  in  the  passageway  between  the  troughs,  to  drain 
the  water  away  from  them.  Various  schemes  have  been  tried 
with  the  object  of  draining  the  passageways  without  the  beU 
trap,  but  this  creates  other  difficulties,  and  it  is  not  desirable 
to  drain  the  central  passageway  into  the  feeding-troughs 
themselves.  The  rear  and  side  jDassageways  drain  into  the 
gutter,  which  should  not  be  less  than  7  in.  deep  at  the  ends 
and  not  over  9  in.  or  10  in.  at  the  center.  Some  cows,  during 
the  night,  wiU  make  5  in.  or  6  in.  of  manure,  so  that  the  gutter 
nuist  be  deep  enough  to  prevent  them  from  fouling  them- 
selves. It  is  wholly  impossible  to  make  the  gutter  pitch  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  urine  will  at  all  times  run  out  of  it. 
The  droppings  from  the  cows  prevent  this,  and  a  pitch  of  Yg 
in.  to  the  foot  or  less  is  sufficient.  In  the  plan  of  the  large 
barn  shown  in  Fig.  49,  the  gutters  have  been  put  in  level  and 
after  cleaning  are  hosed  down  and  broomed  out.  The  water- 
ing-trough, when  of  the  continuous  type,  need  not  drain  as 
quickly  as  is  necessary  for  the  floors,  and  here  a  pitch  of  i/g 
in.  or  less  to  the  foot  will  do ;  if  a  little  water  remains  in  the 
trough  after  watering  it  is  of  no  consequence.  The  bottom  of 
the  trough  is  better  if  not  located  below  the  floor  of  the  stall, 
but  either  above  or  on  a  level  with  it.  There  is  no  trouble  in 
getting  a  good  pitch  (i/g  in.  to  the  foot)  in  the  gutter  and 
trough  for  ten  or  twelve  cows.  In  a  row  of  twenty  cows  the 
pitch  must  necessarily  be  made  less,  but  it  is  better  to  have  a 
less  pitch  than  to  try  to  overcome  the  difficulty  by  putting 
another  bell  trap  in  the  gutter,  or  a  second  outlet  in  the  trough. 
Have  as  much  drainage  above  the  floor  and  as  little  beneath 


THE   COW   BARN 


49 


it  as  possible;  the  simpler  the  plumbing  is  kept  the  better. 
The  gutter  should  be  as  high  on  the  side  toward  the  pas- 
sageway as  it  is  on  the  side  next  to  the  stall.  A  low  gutter 
at  the  passageway  (Fig.  12)  will  allow  the  manure  in  dropping 
to  splash  more  against  the  outside  walls ;  while  a  higher  gut- 
ter here  very  largely  prevents  this. 


STALL 
FLOOR 


/PASSAGE.   BACK. 
/of    STAl-l_S 


t-  GUTTER  Ifi 


\ 


FIG.    12— SHOWING   GUTTER  WITH   LOW   SIDE 
AT  PASSAGEWAY.     THIS  IS  UNDESIRABLE 

The  drainage  of  the  floors  of  the  calf  pens  should  never  be 
effected  by  a  bell  trap  in  the  center  of  the  pens  themselves, 
as  this  invariably  gets  clogged  up,  but  should  drain  to  the  out- 
side of  the  partitions.  Two  pens  can  be  arranged  to  drain 
calf  pen  can  be  hosed  out  without  wetting  the  bedding  in  the 
into  one  bell  trap,  but  this  should  be  so  contrived  that  one 
other.  A  trap  outside  the  calf  pens  also  has  some  advantage, 
because  by  its  means  the  drainage  can  be  taken  from  the 
passageway  as  well.  See  Fig.  13.  In  order  to  keep  the  bed- 
ding in  the  pen  and  the  water  in  hosing  down  out  of  it,  it  is 
necessary  to  have  a  small  concrete  sill,  4  in.  high,  at  the  door  of 
the  calf  pen. 

LIQUID  MANURE. — Before  referring  to  the  plimibing  it 
will  be  necessary  briefly  to  consider  the  method  of  disposing 
of  the  liquid  manure,  which  makes  a  more  efficient  agent  than 


50 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


the  solid  manure  for  fertilizing  puri^oses.  So  many  differ- 
ent views  have  been  presented  for  the  best  method  of  saving 
the  urine,  that  the  system  to  be  chosen  will  depend  largely 


FIG.  13— PLAN  SHOWING  FLOOR  DRAINAGE  OF  A  COW  BARN  AT  GLEN 
COVE,  L.  I.,  FOB  CLIFFORD  V.  BROKAW,  ESQ. 


upon  the  preference  which  each  individual  has  for  that  partic- 
ular one. 

In  large  herds,  say  forty  milking  cows  and  upwards,  it  is 
certainly  desirable  to  collect  the  liquid  manure  in  a  liquid 
manure  pit,  where  it  can  be  pumped  out,  diluted  as  is  neces- 
sary, and  put  upon  the  land.  This  is  especially  so  in  bams 
where  little  or  no  bedding  is  used.     In  the  first  rush  of  en- 


THE   COW   BARN 


51 


thusiasm  for  certified  milk,  the  continual  washing  down  of 
the  cow  barn  with  quantities  of  water  was  everywhere  advo- 
cated. This  suggestion  was  a  perfectly  natural  ©ne  from 
the  standpoint  of  milk  cleanliness,  but  it  diluted  the  urine  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  was  valueless  for  manure.  To  avoid 
this,  a  special  trap  for  the  gutters  was  designed  (Fig.  14.) 
This  is  a  double  trap  with  two  outlets,  one  outlet  for  connec- 


IMTT^ 


FIG.   14— SPECIAL  GUTTER  TRAP  WITH  TWO   OUTLETS— ONE  TO  LIQUID  MANURE 
RECEPTACLE,   THE  OTHER  TO  THE   SEWAGE  DISPOSAL  SYSTEM 

tion  with  a  liquid  manure  pit  and  the  other  outlet  for  connec- 
tion with  a  general  sewage  disposal  system.  The  change  in 
conducting  the  gutter  liquids  either  to  the  liquid  manure  pit 
or  to  the  general  sewage  system  is  made  by  reversing  the 
cover  of  the  trap.  This  system  in  a  way  complicates  the 
plumbing;  and  it  seems  so  difficult  to  interest  the  farm  as- 
sistant in  it  that  it  has  for  want  of  intelligent  carrying  out, 
been  to  all  intents  and  purposes  abandoned.  The  continual 
flooding  of  the  cow  barn  with  water,  helpful  as  this  admittedly 
is  in  providing  ideal  conditions  for  the  making  of  milk,  has 
been  found  not  only,  as  has  been  stated  above,  to  dilute  the 
liquid  manure  unduly,  but  to  make  the  stable  very  damp  and 
cold,  especially  in  winter.  In  several  instances  which  have 
come  under  the  author's  personal  knowledge,  this  damp  condi- 
tion of  the  cow  barn  has  resulted  disastrously  to  the  health 
of  the  cows;  who,  like  human  beings,  are  obliged  to  stay  in- 


52  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

doors  more  in  the  winter  than  at  other  times.  To  confine 
an  animal  such  as  the  cow,  which  is  especially  liable  to  tuber- 
culosis, in  a  cold  damp  room,  fast  within  a  stanchion  where 
all  exercise  is  denied  it,  would  seem  to  be  the  very  height  of 
ignorance  and  stupidity.  When  the  process  of  washing  down 
is  kept  within  reason — and  once  a  day  is  sufficient — the  double 
trap  for  the  liquid  manure  is  unnecessary,  and  the  water 
from  the  gutters  and  troughs  may  be  conducted  into  the  liquid 
manure  pit  without  damaging  the  value  of  the  manure  as  a 
fertilizer;  but  even  so  it  is  well  to  have  the  water  from  the 
central  passageways  diverted  into  another  drainage  system 
along  with  any  other  water  wliich  can  be  similarly  drawn  off. 
In  computing  the  capacity  of  a  liquid  manure  pit,  allow  from 
400  to  600  gallons  per  cow. 

In  the  smaller  herd  especially,  but  in  the  larger  one  as  well, 
the  urine  may  be  saved  by  banking  up  the  bedding  around  the 
gutter  beU  trap  at  night,  when  most  of  the  urine  is  made, 
putting  plenty  of  bedding  or  land  plaster  in  the  gutter  to  ab- 
sorb it.  The  absorption  of  the  urine  by  the  bedding  greatly 
aids  in  rotting  it  and  the  liquid  manure  cannot  be  utilized  to 
better  advantage.  In  the  Briarcliff  barn,  a  structure  accom- 
modating 200  cows,  the  plan  of  which  is  showTi  later,  this 
method  of  saving  the  urine  is  used,  and  some  eight  hundred 
feet  of  gutter  has  but  one  outlet.  The  gutters  here  are  level, 
nor  could  they  be  otherwise  without  unduly  increasing  the 
number  of  bell  traps,  and  after  being  cleaned  are  hosed  down 
and  broomed  out. 

It  is  never  worth  while  to  run  the  drainage  from  the  cow 
stable  into  a  general  manure  pit.  This  idea  is  an  expensive 
one  to  carry  out,  and  experience  has  shown  that  it  is  entirely 
impracticable. 


THE   COW   BARN 


53 


PLUMBING. — The  plumbing  required  for  the  cow  barn 
is  simple  and  has  been  worked  out  to  a  perfectly  satisfactory 
solution.  All  bell  traps  should  be  extra  heavy  and  well  gal- 
vanized. The  ordinary  iron  trap  rusts  and  very  soon  becomes 
unsightly.  The  soil  lines  from  the  gutters,  within  the  build- 
ing, should  invariably  be  of  extra  heavy  cast-iron  pipe,  and 
run  directly  from  the  bell  traps  into  an  outside  catch-basin 
or  clean-out  pit.    Fig.  15  will  make  this  clear.    The  outlets 


ABOUT    7'-0 


20"  IPON 
GRADE\  COVE.R 


MASONS 
TRAP 


■*'TlLt 


FIG.    15 — SECTION  THROUGH   TROUGH,   SHOWING   SOIL  LINE   AND   CLEAN-OUT    PIT 

OR  MASON'S  TRAP 


in  the  watering-  and  feeding-troughs  should  always  be  trapped 
and  drained  into  the  soil  line  from  the  gutter,  in  order  that  the 
line  draining  the  gutter  may  be  continually  flushed  and 
cleaned  by  the  water  from  the  watering-trough.  The  outlet 
from  the  troughs  should  not  be  less  than  4  in.  in  diameter,  and 
a  deep-seated  plug  is  necessary  to  keep  the  cows  from  pushing 
it  out ;  for  this  reason  it  is  best  located  between  two  animals, 
where  it  is  as  far  out  of  their  reach  as  possible.  The  trap 
should  be  set  near  to  the  outlet  plug,  so  that  a  man  can  clean 
it  out  with  his  hand.  A  strainer  is  an  advantage,  but  even  so 
the  trap  sometimes  clogs  and  must,  therefore,  be  easily 
reached. 


54  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

The  leaders  to  the  buildings  should  never  be  connected  with 
any  soil  lines,  as  any  stoppage  at  the  end  of  a  leader  line  will 
cause  the  water  from  the  roofs  to  back  up  and  empty  itself 
through  the  nearest  bell  trap  on  to  the  stable  floor.  The  lead- 
ers must  always  run  into  a  separate  system  of  their  own. 

In  small  stables  of  six  to  eight  milking  cows,  the  supply 
at  the  end  of  the  cow  trough  will  answer  all  purposes  of 
hosing  down.  For  comfortable  watering  of  stock  this  should 
never  be  less  than  2  in.,  and  the  hose  properly  fitted  for  the 
connection.  In  larger  stables  1-in.  outlets  for  hosing  should  be 
located  in  the  center  of  each  side  of  the  stable  and  hose  racks 
provided  for  them.  It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  bell  trap 
under  this,  as  whatever  drip  there  is  can  readily  run  across 
the  passageway  into  the  gutter.  Except  in  the  cow  barn 
proper,  all  outlets  for  water  should  be  of  the  frost-proof 
hydrant  variety,  which  insures  against  the  annoyance  of 
frozen  pipes,  but  in  our  climate  the  outlets  in  the  cow  barn 
need  no  protection  against  frost. 

For  proper  cleaning  of  the  troughs  and  gutters,  boiling 
water  is  absolutely  necessary,  so  that  the  cow  barn  must  have 
in  it  a  connection  for  steam  and  water. 

VENTILATION.— The  subject  of  ventilation  is  a  trying 
one,  for  no  matter  how  carefully  the  architect  may  plan  his 
ventilating  system,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  find  cattlemen 
who  will  take  the  trouble  to  acquire  sufficient  knowledge  to 
use  it  intelligently. 

Professor  F.  H.  King,  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  has 
for  many  years  worked  carefully  and  conscientiously  over 
the  problem  of  ventilating  the  cow  bam,  and  the  methods 
employed  to  bring  fresh  air  into  the  quarters  for  the  cow 
have  come  to  be  known  as  the  King  system.    Those  who  wish 


THECOWBAEN  55 

to  go  into  the  matter  at  greater  length  cannot  do  better  than 
to  read  his  little  work  on  ventilation/  which  is  written  clearly 
and  interestingly  and  with  such  enthusiasm  for  the  subject 
that  the  reader  lays  the  book  aside  feeling  as  if  all  the  ills 
of  humanity  could  be  attributed  to  the  iiisufficient  ventilation 
of  our  homes,  schools  and  fann  buildings. 

The  theory  of  all  exhaust  systems  of  ventilation  is  to  take 
the  air  out  at  the  bottom  of  the  room  and  let  it  in  at  the  top. 
This  management  of  the  air  currents  creates  a  circulation 
absolutely  necessary  for  ventilation.  Foul  and  vitiated  air 
falls  and  remains  near  the  floor,  and  from  here  it  should  be 
removed.  The  fresh  air  is  let  in  at  the  top  of  the  room, 
where  the  air  is  the  warmest  and  where  the  cold  outside  air 
may  be  warmed  somewhat  before  it  comes  into  the  range  of 
the  individual.  All  this  is  usual  practice  and  is  sound  theory. 
In  rooms  which  are  artificially  heated,  fresh  air  may  be  taken 
in  in  sufficient  quantity  always  to  insure  good  ventilation 
with  a  comfortable  temperature.  The  difficulty  of  these  prin- 
ciples applied  to  the  cow  barn  is  that  the  cattle  are  usually 
dependent  upon  the  radiation  of  heat  from  their  bodies  for 
warming  their  apartment ;  and  that  in  very  cold  weather  the 
animals  vitiate  more  air  with  their  breath  than  they  warm 
with  their  bodies.  A  very  positive  result  of  this  condition 
is  in  the  condensation  on  the  walls  and  ceilings,  brought  about 
by  shutting  the  building  up  tight,  the  moisture  from  the  ani- 
mals being  turned  to  water  on  the  cold  outside  partitions. 
The  only  way  to  avoid  this  is  to  change  the  air  in  the  buildings, 
to  remove  the  moist  air  within  and  replace  it  by  the  drier  air 
without.    Unfortunately,  in  very  cold  weather,  enough  out- 

1  "Ventilation  for  Dwellings,  Rural  Schools  and  Stables,"  by  F.  H.  King,  Madison, 
Wis.     Published  by  the  author,  1908. 


56  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

side  air  to  stop  condensation  will  sometimes  chill  tlie  stable 
and  make  it  too  cold.  With  natural  ventilation  depending 
largely  on  the  difference  in  temperature  between  indoors  and 
outdoors,  it  is  not  only  important  that  enough  heat  be  gen- 
erated always  to  keep  the  temperature  within  well  above  that 
Avithout,  but  that  enough  heat  be  generated  indoors  to  have, 
not  only  good  ventilation  but  warmth  as  well,  and  the  only 
way  to  insiu'e  such  a  condition  during  very  cold  weather  is 
by  artificial  heat.  With  artificial  heat  all  difficulties  of  ven- 
tilation for  the  cow  barn  disappear. 

The  simplest  way,  as  it  is  the  most  efficient  way,  to  get  air 
out  of  the  cow  barn  without  opening  the  doors  and  windows 
is  to  erect  a  duct  which  will  go  from  the  floor  straight  up 
through  the  roof  (Fig.  16),  and  the  higher  above  the  roof  this 
duct  is  made  to  run  the  better  it  will  ventilate.  There  may 
and  should  be  two  outlet  ducts  when  the  number  of  cows  re- 
quire it.  Twenty  or  twenty-five  cattle  can  do  with  one  outlet 
duct;  more  should  have  two  outlet  ducts.  In  Fig.  4,  this 
vent  3x3  ft.  inside  measurement,  is  located  between  the  milk- 
ing cow  barn  and  the  young  stock  barn,  and  is  made  to  answer 
for  the  outlet  ventilation  of  both  apartments.  Where  there 
is  no  partition,  this  vent  can  run  down  into  the  center  of  the 
cow  barn  and  occupy  the  place  of  one  stall,  though  this  seems 
to  sacrifice  the  sightliness  of  the  stable  unnecessarily,  how- 
ever desirable  a  thing  it  may  be  in  the  case  of  strictly  com- 
mercial plants.  The  large  Briarcliff  barn,  shown  later  in 
section,  was  ventilated  in  this  manner. 

This  duct,  called  an  outlet  duct,  should  be  constructed  so 
that  it  is  warm  and  tight ;  it  wiU  then  act  just  like  a  chimney, 
and  the  higher  it  is  the  better  it  wiU  draw.  Its  size  should 
be  figured  at  the  ratio  of  4  sq.  ft.  (2x2  ft.  inside  measure- 


THE   COW   BARN 


57 


ments)  for  twenty  cows;  assuming  that  the  duct  is  30  ft. 
high;  if  lower,  this  ratio  must  be  increased.  The  factors 
which  operate  to  force  the  air  upward  in  the  outlet  duct  are 
mainly  two :  the  difference  in  temperature  between  the  air  in 
the  building  and  the  air  without ;  and  the  velocity  of  air  cut- 


fig.   16 — OUTLET  VENT  DUCT  AT  END  OF  BARN  RUNNING  FKOM  FLOOB 
DIRECT  THROUGH  ROOF 


rents  blowing  across  the  top  of  the  outlet  duct  and  inducing 
by  aspiration  an  upward  current  within  it.  In  a  strong  wind 
the  ventilating  system  is  at  its  best.  With  no  wind  it  is  at 
its  worst,  so  that  judgment  of  the  ventilating  equipment  must 
be  tempered  by  the  wind.    To  avoid  running  the  outlet  duct 


58 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


down  into  the  stable,  ducts  may  be  placed  on  each  side  (Fig. 
17),  run  up  the  rake  of  the  roof  and  connected  to  a  central 
ventilator,  the  cross-section  of  which  must  be  equal  to  the 
sum  of  the  cross-sections  of  both  side  ducts.  Where  this 
system  is  used,  a  door  the  same  size  as  the  central  vent  is  placed 


FIG.   17 — OUTLET  DUCTS  IN  SIDE  WALLS  RUN  UP  THE  BAKE  OF  THE  EOOF  INTO 

A    CENTRAL    VENTILATOR 

in  the  ceiling  and  is  very  useful  in  cooling  the  stable,  especially 
in  the  simamer.  This  door  should  be  fitted  tight  and  kept 
closed  during  the  cold  weather. 

Another  method,  and  a  good  one  to  avoid  the  unsightliness 
of  the  outlet  duct  in  the  stable,  is  to  arrange  in  the  center 
ventilator  a  duct  which  will  telescope  and  can  be  drawn  down 
near  the  floor  at  night  or  at  times  when  such  ventilation  is 


THECOWBARN  59 

desirable,  and  pushed  up  out  of  the  way  when  the  cattle  are 
fed.  This  type  of  duct  is  indicated  in  Fig.  17,  and  may 
be  used  with  the  outlet  ducts  in  the  side  walls  or  without  them. 

Another  type  of  the  outlet  vent  at  the  side  of  the  building 
is  to  continue  this  up  straight  like  a  chimney,  the  higher  the 
better,  but  it  is  also  necessary  to  give  the  cow  barn  a  low, 
preferably  a  flat  roof,  so  that  the  air  currents  round  the  top 
of  the  duct  may  not  be  interfered  with  by  the  roof  of  the 
building.  It  is  considered  that  this  type  of  outlet  duct  gives 
somewhat  better  results  than  where  the  duct  is  run  up  the 
rake  of  the  roof  into  a  central  ventilator,  and  this  scheme 
adapts  itself  particularly  well  for  commercial  plants. 

Whether  the  outlet  duct  be  at  the  side  of  the  barn  or  run 
down  into  the  interior,  it  is  usual  to  have  two  registers  in  it, 
each  one  of  which  is  equal,  or  nearly  so,  to  the  size  of  the  duct 
itself — one  six  inches  above  the  floor,  the  other  six  inches 
below  the  ceiling.  For  cold  weather  the  lower  register  is  used 
entirely.  The  upper  register  is  used  when  the  stable  is  warm 
and  to  reenforce  the  draft  when  necessary.  The  author  has 
ceased  to  provide  the  register  near  the  ceiling  in  cases  where 
other  ceiling  outlets  are  available.  The  upper  register  in  the 
outlet  vent  requires  in  its  use  a  certain  amount  of  intelligence 
— a  quality  apt  to  be  conspicuous  by  its  absence  in  the  cow 
barn.  The  register  at  the  bottom  of  the  outlet  duct  simplifies 
matters  and  is  usually  all  that  is  necessary. 

These  registers  are  best  in  the  form  of  small  doors,  made  of 
iron,  and  not  of  the  regular  louver  type,  which  are  expensive 
and  too  cumbersome  for  the  farm  barn.  To  make  certain  of 
the  draft  up  the  outlet  duct,  steam  coils,  which  always  increase 
the  efficiency  of  the  ventilation  system,  may  be  placed  here. 

So  much  for  the  outlet  duct.    Professor  King's  suggestion 


60  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

for  allowing  the  air  to  come  into  the  building  is  to  arrange  a 
series  of  inlet  ducts  (Fig.  16)  whose  combined  cross-sections 
must  be  equal  to  the  cross-sections  of  the  outlet  duct  or  ducts, 
which  shall  take  the  air  in  at  the  bottom  and  discharge  it  at 
the  top,  some  six  inches  or  so  below  the  ceiling  level.  This 
traps  the  warm  air  at  the  top  of  the  room  and  makes  its  es- 
cape impossible  except  to  go  downward  through  the  inlet  duct 
which  it  is  not  likely  to  do.  While  the  theory  of  letting  air 
into  the  building  through  the  inlet  duct  is  interesting,  it  has 
some  disadvantages  from  the  point  of  view  of  practice.  The 
inlet  duct  in  time  becomes  dusty  and  is  impossible  to  keep 
clean,  simply  because  it  is  impossible  to  clean  it.  For  this 
reason  it  should  always  be  constructed  with  smooth  sides, 
galvanized  iron  being  the  best  material.  The  air  can  with 
quite  as  much  advantage  be  let  into  the  building  through  the 
window,  which,  falling  back  in  cheeks,  will  send  the  current 
of  fresh  air  up  toward  the  ceiling.  The  air  may  be  sucked 
out  on  the  leeward  side  of  the  building  more  easily  through 
the  window  than  it  would  be  through  the  ducts,  so  that  care 
must  be  used  in  regulating  them,  but  no  more  than  would 
have  to  be  exercised  in  intelligently  operating  any  system  of 
ventilation.  If  the  cow  barn  has  artificial  heating,  the  inlet 
ducts  may  be  omitted;  if  the  barn  is  without  artificial  heat, 
the  ventilation  is  bettered  by  the  inlet  ducts. 

ARTIFICIAL  HEAT.— There  are  differences  of  opinion 
with  regard  to  artificial  heat  in  the  cow  barn.  The  tempera- 
ture of  the  cow  bam  need  never  be  over  55  degrees  Fahren- 
heit. On  very  cold  nights  this  degree  of  temperature  cannot 
be  maintained  in  barns  whose  location  is  exposed  and  which 
have  not  their  proper  complement  of  cattle.  There  never 
was  any  doubt  in  the  author's  mind  that  properly  regulated 


A  FEATURK  MAY  BE  MADE,  OF  THE  ^^\^^RE  THOEEEY,  THOUGH  THIS 

MAY  APPEAR  TOO  A>nil  TIOIS  IX  FIS  PRESFX'l'  NAKED  STATE.    WHEN 

COVERED  WriH    \IXES   IT   WILL   BE   SATISFACTORY 


MANURE  CARRIER  AND    TKOI.LEY 


THECOWBARN  61. 

artificial  heat  is  a  distinct  advantage  to  the  comfort  of  the  cow 
barn.  On  the  other  hand,  improperly  regulated  artificial  heat 
can  become  a  great  disadvantage,  and  does  become  so  when  the 
cow  bam  is  kept  at  a  high  temperature  from  which  the  cattle 
are  removed  into  the  cold  outside  air.  The  great  advantage 
of  artificial  heat  is  seen  in  the  ventilation.  It  always  allows 
the  taking  in  of  a  greater  amount  of  fresh  air  without  chilling 
the  stable.  Artificial  heat,  then,  should  always  mean  more 
ventilation — not  less. 

MANURE  TROLLEY.— The  most  satisfactory  way  to  re- 
move the  manure  is  by  overhead  trolley  (Plate  opposite), 
and  the  track  should  be  hvmg  two  feet  back  of  the  gutter, 
which  brings  the  carrier  in  exactly  the  right  position  for  con- 
venient transfer  of  the  manure  from  the  gutter  to  the  carrier. 
The  carriers  are  much  better  and  cleaner  than  the  old  system 
of  the  cart ;  the  wheels  of  which,  if  they  become  foul,  grind  the 
dirt  into  the  floor  at  every  revolution.  It  is  possible  by  the  va- 
rious switches  to  run  the  trolley  anywhere,  and  as  the  switches 
are  efficient  and  do  not  get  out  of  order,  the  tracking  of  the 
manure  away  from  the  stable  is  a  distinct  advantage.  In 
laying  out  the  manure  track  lines  (which  are  all  shown  on  the 
various  plans)  it  is  frequently  desirable  to  take  them  through 
the  feed  room.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  this  is  an  un- 
cleanly process,  as  the  manure,  once  put  in  the  carrier,  stays 
there,  and  the  car  and  contents  can  pass  through  the  feed 
room  without  fouling  it.  It  is  almost  always  more  direct  to 
troUey  through  the  feed  room  than  to  go  around  it  and  it  is 
well  to  remember  that  the  simplicity  in  doing  the  work 
throughout  the  whole  group  of  fann  buildings  is  the  most 
important  factor  in  having  it  well  done.  If  a  bam  is  to  be 
continually  clean  it  must  be  made  easy  to  keep  it  so. 


62  MODEEN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

Another  point  to  consider  is  that  it  is  never  well  to  take 
the  manure  from  one  barn  through  another.  While  the  horse 
manure  and  cow  manure  can  be  tracked  to  the  same  ultimate 
place,  the  cow  manure  should  not  have  to  go  through  the  horse 
barn  to  get  there,  or  vice  versa.  The  place  for  unloading  the 
carriers  should  under  no  circumstances  be  near  the  milking 
cow  bam,  but  as  far  away  as  possible.  Here  the  manure  can 
be  thrown  directly  from  the  carriers  into  the  manure  spread- 
ers and  taken  to  the  fields  or  emptied  into  a  cart  and  taken 
daily  to  a  general  compost  pile  or  manure  pit.  All  manure 
drawls  flies ;  horse  manure  breeds  them.  Absolute  cleanliness 
in  this  regard  is  important,  for  the  milking  barn  can  have  noth- 
ing dirtier  in  it  than  the  fly.  The  openings  through  which  the 
manure  trolleys  pass  should  never  be  narrower  than  4  ft.  and 
the  trolley  will  not  run  on  a  track  whose  curve  has  a  radius 
of  less  than  3  ft. :  this  is  otherwise  a  sufficiently  flexible  ap- 
paratus to  offer  no  difficulties  of  installation  even  in  the  small- 
est building. 

The  easy  handling  of  the  manure  and  its  prompt  removal 
from  the  cow  bam  is,  perhaps,  the  most  important  thing  to  be 
considered  in  the  plan  and  in  the  administration  of  that  build- 
ing. Ordinarily  it  would  seem  quite  superfluous  to  say  this, 
but  milk  has  been  made  for  so  long  in  unclean  surroundings 
that  the  mind  does  not  revolt  at  the  idea;  and  man,  being  a 
creature  of  habit,  falls  into  bad  ones  much  more  readily  than 
into  good — ^but  never,  surely,  fell  into  a  worse  one  than  that 
which  accepted  and  tolerated  unclean  milk  conditions. 

BEDDING. — The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  consider  the 
requirements  of  the  farm  buildings  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  architect,  and  the  reader  is  referred  to  others  for  infor- 
mation on  the  various  subjects  of  scientific  farming.    Among 


THE   COW   BARN"  63 

these,  soil  nutrition  is  as  much  discussed  at  present  in  its  re- 
lation to  plant  welfare  as  the  subject  of  diet  is  in  regard  to 
hiunan  health  and  happiness.  The  usual  enrichment  of  the 
soil  is  made  by  manure,  and  as  manure  is  largely  bedding,  the 
importance  of  the  latter  to  manure  is  considerable.  We  will 
therefore  take  up  the  subject  of  bedding,  just  so  far  as  it  has 
an  effect  upon  the  quality  of  the  milk.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
the  best  bedding  from  the  milk  standpoint  is  planer  shavings. 
These  shavings,  especially  when  made  from  kiln-dried  wood, 
are  practically  sterilized.  They  stay  in  place  well  upon  the 
stall  floor,  and  shavings  make  the  most  sightly  bedding  as  they 
are  the  most  sanitary. 

The  farmer,  on  the  other  hand,  who  has  other  things  to  con- 
sider beside  milk  production,  contends  that  this  bedding  does 
not  make  good  manure ;  that  it  takes  it  longer  to  rot,  and  does 
not  contain  the  plant  nutrition  that  is  to  be  found  in  manure 
which  is  made  from  bedding  the  animals  with  straw.  The 
dairyman  replies  to  the  farmer  that  while  the  sha\dngs  may 
in  some  instances  lack  plant  nutrition  they  also  lack  the  seeds 
of  weeds  which  ordinary  maniu'e  frequently  has  in  great 
quantities ;  that  shavings  are  better  on  hea\"y  soils  than  they 
are  on  lighter  soils,  and  on  a  soil  which  has  a  tendency  to 
harden  during  the  dry  summer  months  the  manure  of  cattle 
bedded  with  shavings  is  better  than  any  other  kind  of  manure. 

At  any  rate,  shavings  make  the  best  bedding  for  the  milk, 
though  with  care  chopped  straw  could  be  used  so  that  it  would 
not  injure  the  milk,  especially  if  taken  out  of  the  cow  barn 
before  milking,  as  all  bedding  should  be,  whether  of  shapings 
or  of  straw. 

In  large  plans  it  is  necessary  to  provide  a  bedding  bin.  In 
the  small  barn  the  bedding  may  be  stored  in  the  hay  bam ;  if 


64  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

straw,  a  bay  is  given  up  to  it,  and  if  planer  shavings  are  used 
these  come  in  such  a  compressed  form  that  very  little  space 
is  required  for  them ;  the  bales  may  be  stored  in  the  hay  barn 
or  stacked  up  in  the  feed  room,  or  the  shavings  may  be  stored 
loose  in  bins  above  the  feed  room  and  drawn  down  through 
chutes. 

SILO. — Ensilage  is  now  used  very  generally  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  the  silo  must  always  be  considered  even 
in  a  small  group  of  farm  buildings.  In  estimating  its  capacity 
it  is  usual  to  figure  from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds  of  ensilage 
a  day  per  animal  for  250  or  300  days.  In  large  herds,  where 
two  or  more  silos  are  required,  it  is  better  to  have  one  silo  with 
a  larger  diameter.  The  large  silo  is  used  in  the  winter  time 
when  cows  are  fed  more  on  ensilage,  and  the  smaller  silo  dur- 
ing the  warmer  months  when  they  are  fed  less.  The  reason 
for  this  is  that  it  is  better  to  take  off  from  the  top  of  the 
ensilage  at  least  four  inches  at  each  feeding,  as  there  is  a 
tendency  for  the  ensilage  to  become  stale  if  left  exposed  for 
any  length  of  time;  consequently  a  high  silo  with  a  smaller 
diameter  is  to  be  preferred.  The  following  table  will  give 
reliable  dimensions  as  to  silo  capacities : 


THE   COW   BAEN 


65 


Table  of  Silo  Capacities 

Inside 

Inside 

Estimated 

Diameter 

Height 

.Capacity 

in  feet 

in  feet 

in  tons 

8 

20 

20  to  25 

8 

24 

25  "  30 

8 

30 

30  "  35 

10 

20 

30  "  35 

10 

24 

38  "  42 

10 

26 

40  "  46 

10 

30 

45  "  55 

12 

20 

45  "  50 

12 

24 

54  "  60 

12 

26 

58  "  65 

12 

28. 

62  "  70 

12 

30 

68  "  75 

14 

24 

70  "  75 

14 

26 

75  "  80 

14 

28 

85  "  90 

14 

30 

90  "  100 

14 

32 

95  "  105 

14 

34 

100  "  110 

14 

36 

105  "  120 

16 

24 

100  "  105 

16 

26 

105  "  110 

16 

28 

110  "  115 

16 

30 

115  "  125 

16 

32 

120  "  130 

16 

34 

130  "  145 

16 

40 

170  "  190 

18 

26 

125  "  135 

18 

28 

130  "  140 

18 

30 

135  "  145 

18 

32 

140  "  155 

18 

40 

190  "  220 

20 

24 

150  "  160 

20 

30 

185  "  200 

20 

34 

215  "  230 

22 

30 

230  "  250 

22 

38 

300  "  350 

125 

32 

310  "  340 

66  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

The  usual  silo  is  the  wooden  one,  and  when  of  wood,  cypress 
is  the  best  material,  and  it  is  better  to  buy  the  silo  from  a 
manufacturer  than  undertake  to  construct  one  with  ordinary 
labor.  Concrete  silos  are  entirely  satisfactory  and  are  prac- 
tically indestructible.  They  can  be  made  either  roimd  or 
square,  but  are  better  round;  if  square  the  interior  angles 
must  be  well  rounded  so  that  the  ensilage  will  settle  evenly  and 
will  not  be  retarded  in  settlement  by  catching  in  sharp  angles. 
The  concrete  silo  has  been  made  wdth  hollow  walls,  though 
these  have  little  or  no  advantage  over  the  solid  waUs. 

The  silo,  whether  of  wood  or  concrete,  should  invariably  be 
separated  from  the  building  by  fresh  air,  as  the  odors  from 
the  ensilage  are  very  pungent  and  are  best  kept  out  of  the 
cow  stable.  In  all  cases  it  is  well  to  have  the  passage  be- 
tween the  silo  and  the  building  large  enough  to  contain  all 
the  implements  used  in  handling  the  ensilage,  as  the  odor  from 
them,  if  not  always  strong,  is  persistent.  The  silo  should  un- 
der no  consideration  be  entered  directlv  from  the  milking  cow 
barn ;  the  entrance  should  either  occur  at  the  feed  room  or  the 
silo  be  entirely  separated  from  the  building,  as  was  done  in  the 
farm  barns  at  Sterlington,  N.  Y.,  for  Francis  Lynde  Stetson, 
Esq. 

Architecturally  the  silo  becomes  a  difficult  problem,  for 
while  it  is  certainly  typical  of  the  fann,  it  is  a  most  unman- 
ageable thing  to  the  architect.  Perhaps  the  best  way  to  dis- 
pose of  the  silo  is  to  place  it  among  the  trees,  where  its  rigid 
outlines  are  softened,  but  unfortunately  such  an  environment 
is  not  always  available,  and  while  it  is  possible  to  enclose  the 
silo  within  a  constiniction  that  shaU  partake  of  the  appearance 
of  the  rest  of  the  buildings,  yet  to  erect  one  structure  in  order 
to  confine  another,  seems  unarchitectural  in  the  extreme. 


THE   COW   BAEN 


67 


The  wooden  silo  must  always  be  placed  upon  a  masonry 
foimdation.  (Fig,  18.)  The  bottom,  made  of  concrete  and 
without  a  bell  trap,  should  extend  some  four  or  five  feet  into 
the  foundations ;  otherwise  if  the  silo  is  placed  directly  on  the 
concrete  bottom  the  juices  from  the  ensilage  will  leak  through 


FIG.    18— SECTION   THROUGH   SILO    FOUNDATION 


the  lower  doors.  By  sinking  the  floor  of  the  silo,  the  liquids 
will  be  contained  within  the  foimdation  walls  and  this  imde- 
sirable  but  usual  condition  avoided. 


68  MODERN    FARM    BUILDINGS 

With  any  silo,  the  architect  will  have  to  inclose  the  doors 
in  a  chute  three  feet  wide  and  two  feet  deep,  running  from  the 
top  of  the  silo  and  stopping  within  seven  or  eight  feet  from 
the  floor.  As  the  ensilage  is  thrown  down  the  chute  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  light  and  ventilation  at  both  sides  and  especially 
at  the  top.  Care  should  be  taken  that  no  nails  are  driven 
through  the  silo  and  that  no  other  projections  are  to  be  found 
within  it ;  the  interior  walls  must  be  perfectly  smooth,  as  it  is 
essential  to  good  ensilage  that  it  shall  settle  and  pack  evenly, 
and  so  small  a  thing  as  a  nail  point  will  arrest  this  settlement 
and  cause  the  ensilage  to  spoil  at  that  place.  It  is  best  to 
arrange  the  concrete  floor  at  the  entrance  to  the  silo  so  that  it 
will  drain  into  a  bell  trap  which  is  well  removed  from  the  place 
where  the  ensilage  is  deposited,  for  ensilage  is  composed  of  so 
many  fine  particles  that  it  will  invariably  clog  any  bell  trap  in 
which  it  can  accumulate. 

An  excellent  type  of  silo  is  one  entirely  without  doors,  a 
huge  tank  open  only  at  the  top ;  the  bottom  going  into  the  earth 
some  six  or  eight  feet.  The  ensilage  is  hoisted  out  in  buckets 
and  a  ladder  is  lowered  into  the  top  in  order  to  reach  the  sur- 
face. This  makes  a  little  more  climbing,  as  the  entire  height 
of  the  silo  must  be  scaled  at  every  operation,  but  those  who 
have  used  this  tj^je  of  silo  like  it  and  say  that  the  extra  work 
is  very  little,  and  the  annoyance  of  leaky  doors  is  entirely  done 
away  with ;  also  that  the  ensilage  is  better  and  more  uniform, 
for  any  opening  which  will  allow  the  liquid  to  leak  out,  will 
let  the  air  in  and  the  ensilage  will  spoil  at  that  point.  Such 
a  silo  can  be  very  well  constructed  of  masonry  and  made  square 
if  properly  reenforced  and  large  coves  put  in  the  comers. 

The  ensilage  may  be  carried  to  the  feeding-troughs  by 
trolley,  but  it  is  usual  to  move  it  in  carts.    The  various  ma- 


THECOWBARN  69 

chines  for  filling  the  silo — the  blower  and  the  cutter — ^have 
been  developed  to  a  point  at  which  they  are  entirely  satisfac- 
tory, and  it  is  possible  to  fill  a  silo  forty  feet  high  without  in- 
convenience. 

COW  YARD. — A  yard  in  which  cattle  may  exercise  is  just 
as  necessary  as  any  of  the  other  accommodations  for  the  farm 
bam  which  we  have  been  considering.  In  a  measure  the  ten- 
dency of  modern  milking  is  to  focus  attention  on  what  seems 
necessary  for  the  purity  of  the  milk,  and  to  ignore  what  is 
beneficial  to  the  health  of  the  cow.  She  is  kept  in  the  stall  to 
avoid  exercise,  for  exercise  diminishes  the  milk  flow,  and 
though  the  author  does  not  pretend  to  go  into  the  hygiene  of 
cattle,  except  as  it  relates  to  the  actual  building,  he  neverthe- 
less wants  to  protest  here  against  sacrificing  the  animal  for  a 
milk  record.  The  herd  must  have  a  proper  exercising  place 
located  on  high  dry  ground,  and  well  protected  from  the  cold 
north  winds,  for  the  modern  method  of  clipping  the  cow  at  aU 
seasons  of  the  year  and  the  continual  washing  necessary  for 
cleanliness,  makes  her  more  susceptible  than  otherwise  to  cli- 
matic changes. 

As  the  various  plans  will  show,  the  buildings  themselves  are 
frequently  arranged  so  that  they  form  a  protected  and  shel- 
tered enclosure  in  which  it  is  usual  to  confine  the  cattle.  This 
in  the  main  is  a  satisfactory  solution  of  the  problem,  though  the 
cow  yard  adjoining  the  millcing  barn  is  bad  from  this  point  of 
view ;  for  the  manure  in  the  yard  is  soon  ground  into  powder 
and,  especially  in  summer,  is  liable  to  be  blown  into  the  milking 
barn.  The  cow  yard  adjoining  the  milking  barn  should,  there- 
fore, be  kept  for  winter  use  only,  when  this  objection  is  partly 
though  not  entirely  overcome.  It  is  quite  feasible  to  locate 
the  exercising  yard  at  a  distance  from  the  cow  barn,  and  this 


70 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


arrangement  is  strongly  advised  in  preference  to  all  others. 
Such  a  disposition  of  the  cow  yard  may  be  seen  in  the  plan  of 
the  farm  buildings  at  Sterlington,  N.  Y.  (Fig.  41). 

Fig.  19  shows  a  very  practical  plan  for  a  small  herd  of 
twelve  cows  and  two  bulls.    The  various  yards  are  conveniently 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 
FIG.  19.— PLAN  OF  FARM  BUILDINGS  AT  FRAMINGHAM,  MASS.,  FOR  N.  I.  BOWDITCH,  ESQ. 


disposed,  though  too  near  the  milking  barn  for  ideal  milk  con- 
ditions. The  owner  of  this  herd,  however  is  not  as  interested 
in  the  making  of  milk  as  he  is  in  the  breeding  of  his  cattle,  and 
his  buildings  were  therefore  designed  with  that  end  in  view. 

In  the  summer,  the  proper  place  for  cattle,  except  at  feed- 
ing time,  is  in  the  pasture,  so  that  the  principal  need  of  a 
sheltered  yard  is  in  the  winter  months.  It  is  well,  therefore, 
to  have  the  isolated  yard  protected  on  three  sides  by  a  high 
tight  fence,  the  southerly  exposure  being  left  open.     In  Eng- 


THECOWBARN  71 

land  the  covered  yard  has  been  very  largely  adopted,  though 
it  is  not  usual  in  this  country,  but  in  cold  climates  it  would 
certainly  be  desirable  to  have  an  exercising  place  with  a  roof 
for  protection  from  the  snows  and  rains  of  the  winter.  Fig. 
19  shows  such  a  protection  in  the  form  of  a  wide  shed  at  the 
end  of  the  cow  yard.  The  eaves  are  kept  as  low  as  possible 
for  shelter,  and  in  the  north  wall,  openings  with  solid  sliding 
shutters  are  left  for  ventilation  in  the  warmer  months. 

The  cow  yard  must  always  be  kept  for  the  cattle,  and  should 
be  so  arranged  that  the  traffic  of  the  farm  need  never  be 
brought  into  it.  Such  a  yard  as  is  shown  in  the  plan  for  the 
farm  buildings  at  Oyster  Bay,  N.  Y.,  for  Mortimer  L.  Schiff, 
Esq.,  was  not  intended  as  a  cow  yard,  and  would  be  useless  as 
such,  for  any  season  of  the  year,  as  the  horses  are  driven 
through  it  to  the  sheds  and  to  their  own  quarters,  and  there  is 
no  part  of  it  where  the  cattle  may  enjoy  imdistiu'bed  qviiet. 

PAINTING. — For  the  interior  woodwork  of  the  cow  barn^ 
enamel  paint  is  much  the  best.  White,  though  it  soils  quickly, 
is  preferable  for  the  simple  reason  that  all  dirt  may  be  seen. 
The  old  idea  of  choosing  colors  not  to  show  the  dirt  is  entirely 
wrong  in  principle.  In  places  that  must  necessarily  be  kept 
clean  and  where  it  is  necessarj^  to  know  whether  or  not  such 
places  are  clean,  white  paint  vpill  always  give  the  desired  iu- 
fomiation  in  a  definite  manner.  Nothing  looks  better,  nor  is 
better,  than  to  enamel  the  walls  and  the  ceilings  of  the  milking 
cow  barn,  and  this  can  be  done  in  a  soft  cream  color  and  with 
such  material  that  it  is  possible  to  wash  down  the  ceiling  and 
walls.  This  is  a  great  advantage.  It  is  better  not  to  paint 
the  cement  dados,  as  these  frequently  want  more  vigorous 
scrubbmg,  and  the  cement  plastering,  though  sometimes  un- 
sightly at  first,  improves  in  appearance  with  age  and  use  and 


72  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

reaUy  gives  the  best  surface  without  paint.  Where  the  plas- 
tering and  cement  dado  come  together,  a  green  strip  is  painted, 
which  must  not  he  of  oil  paint,  as  the  cement  will  discolor  it. 
The  ironwork  for  the  stalls  can  be  painted  in  any  color  desired, 
or,  what  is  better,  brightened  with  aluminum,  which  is  light 
in  color  and  though  more  easily  rubbed  off  than  the  paint,  is 
more  easily  renewed  and  can  be  kept  in  better  condition  with 
less  trouble  on  that  account. 

BLINDS  AND  FLIES.— The  fly  is  the  greatest  curse  to 
the  man  interested  in  making  good  milk ;  in  fact  flies  are  now 
being  considered  a  general  scourge  to  the  whole  of  mankind, 
but  to  keep  them  out  of  the  stable  is  a  problem.  Screens  are 
entirely  inefficient  and  seem  to  keep  more  flies  in  than  they 
keep  out.  They  are  useless.  The  only  way  to  avoid  having 
flies  in  the  stable  is  to  keep  it  clean  and  dark,  and  it  is,  there- 
fore, desirable  to  fit  at  all  windows  the  ordinary  blinds  with 
movable  slats.  The  blinds  are  hooked  in  and  do  not  swing, 
as  house  blinds  do,  but  occupy  the  same  part  of  the  frame  as 
the  storm  sash.  See  Fig.  22.  The  sash  are  removed  en- 
tirely, and  the  blinds  can  then  be  easily  operated  from  the  in- 
side. The  removal  of  the  sash  in  sunmier  is  important,  for 
they  are  only  in  the  way  and  become  fly-specked  and  dirty,  and 
should  be  taken  out  and  stored  until  cold  weather.  The  stable 
is  then  kept  dark,  except  at  miUving  time,  when  the  smallest 
amount  of  light  for  proper  milking  is  admitted,  but  care  must 
be  taken  to  hose  the  blinds  down  thoroughly,  inside  and  out 
at  least  once  a  day,  so  as  to  wash  off  all  particles  of  dust  that 
may  lodge  upon  them.  A  reenforced  concrete  bam  is  by  aU 
odds  the  best  to  keep  out  the  flies,  as  the  walls  are  cold  and  the 
flies  do  not  like  them.  When  a  concrete  building  is  kept  clean 
and  dark  the  fly  problem  is  solved. 


THE   COW   BARI^ 


73 


DOORS. — ^Wherever  possible,  sliding  doors  should  in- 
variably be  used  in  preference  to  swing  doors.  The  swing 
door  is  a  nuisance  in  a  stable.  In  the  hay  barn  the  large  doors 
may  sometimes  swing  out,  but  even  here  the  sliding  type  of 
door  is  much  better. 


HEtD 


J  AM  5 


SILL 
SECTIONS    OF 
EXTERIOR   DOOD5 
SWINGING  IN 


WOOD  JAMB 


CONGO tTE.  I 
PLINTH      6* 


CONCRETE 

SI  LL, 


st;ile  clntlr  stile 

CD035    5ECTIOW   OF    DOOD    AT    WOOD    PA.N1E.L5 


BOTTOM   \  STILE 

PAI 


MU^JT|^J  Gi-iSS 


51  LL 


CD055    SECTION    OF    DOOD     AT  GLASS    PANELS 


.  CONCRETC 

;  SILL 

LA.TH     ^WD 
PLfi.STER 
iVz'  FUDClMQ 


SECTIONS  OF 
LXTLRIOR 
SLIDING  DOODSi 

o    r  a'  ^  *.'  5"  c'  111 
1,  ■   -.— .-l'- 


CONCRETE     SADbLE--.„^BOLLtR    6UIDE5 


3'X3'    STOP    BLOCW. 

^--r:- ^*;tv^3  AWGLES 

1-^LAG  SCREWS 


SHEtTHlNQ 
PAPER 


FIG.  20— DETAIL  OF  THE  DOORS  FOR  THE  COW  BARN 


74 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


All  doors  should  be  not  less  than  l^  in.  thick,  framed  to- 
gether with  tongue  and  tenon,  and  pinned.  It  is  well  to 
specify  that  the  pins  are  to  slioiv,  to  ensure  that  the  rails  are 
reaUy  pinned  to  the  stiles.  The  moldings  in  the  panels  should 
be  very  slanting,  as  shown  in  Fig.  20,  so  as  to  avoid  all  projec- 
tions that  will  catch  the  dust,  and  these  moldings  look  well. 
The  inside  of  all  doors  should  be  sheathed  smooth.  Fig.  20 
shows  the  method  of  connection  between  the  wooden  jamb  and 
the  door.    It  is  necessary  to  have  a  heavy  stop  for  the  sliding 


FIG.  21 — ISOMETRIC  VIEW  OP  CONCRETE  BUMPER  FOR 
DOORS 

doors,  which  can  be  admirably  made  upon  the  floor  in  concrete 
(Fig.  21).  This  is  easily  the  best  way  to  stop  a  sliding  door, 
and  offers  an  effective  resistance.  Angle  irons  screwed  on  the 
wall  are  frequently  used  for  a  stop,  but  they  are  very  hard  to 
keep  in  place,  as  the  continual  banging  of  the  door  will  in  time 
loosen  them,  as  it  will  any  stop  that  is  applied  to  the  wall ;  the 
concrete  stop  on  the  floor  becomes  a  part  of  the  actual  build- 
ing itself.  All  outside  doors  are  best  glazed  so  that  they  will 
let  in  as  much  light  as  possible,  and  inside  doors  should  be 


THECOWBARN  75 

glazed  as  well,  as  it  is  convenient  to  see  from  one  compartment 
to  another.  No  door  for  cattle  should  be  less  than  4  ft.  in 
width,  and  a  door  6  ft.  in  width  will  enable  two  cows  to  go 
out  at  a  time,  though  the  single  door  for  the  cow  stable  is  the 
usual  and  generally  the  better  one.  The  lower  half  of  Dutch 
doors  should  be  4  ft.,  6  in.  high  for  horses,  and  for  cattle  3  ft., 
8  in.  is  high  enough.  All  Dutch  doors  should  open  out  and 
be  arranged  to  hook  back  flat  against  the  building.  All  door 
frames  occurring  in  rooms  with  concrete  floors  should  have 
their  frames  cut  off  6  in.  from  floor  and  the  form  of  the  frame 
carried  out  in  concrete  (Fig,  20).  Doors  are  made  7  ft.,  6  in. 
high  for  horses ;  7  ft.  is  high  enough  for  cows ;  and  large  hay- 
doors  are  ordinarily  made  12  ft.  wide  and  14  ft.  high.  They 
are  better  not  larger  than  14  ft.  in  width  and  16  ft.  in  height, 
for  they  become  immanageable  when  this  size  is  exceeded,  and 
the  12x14  ft.  door  is  sufficient  for  all  but  unusual  conditions. 
In  machinery  rooms  for  the  storing  of  farm  machinery,  doors 
8  ft.  wide  by  8  ft.  in  height  are  sufficient  for  all  ordinary  ap- 
paratus ;  where  general  driving  in  is  required,  doors  9  ft.  wide 
by  8  ft.,  6  in.  or  9  ft.  high  will  take  any  ordinary  vehicle.  A 
door  to  take  a  four-in-hand  with  man  on  top  must  be  11  ft.,  6  in. 
in  height.  The  sprinkling-cart  and  the  steam  roller  vary  so  in 
height  that  the  dimensions  of  these  doors  should  be  governed 
by  individual  requirements. 

WINDOWS. — As  previously  stated,  the  windows  in  the 
buildings  for  animals  should  be  as  large  and  numerous  as  pos- 
sible, and  Fig.  22  shows  an  excellent  tjTDe  of  window  that 
may  be  invariably  used.  This  is  thoroughly  tight,  and  the  sec- 
tion at  the  sill  shovild  be  carefully  noted.  The  window  sash 
are  not  hinged,  as  they  fall  back  in  cheeks,  and  are  thus  pre- 
vented from  coming  out  entii"ely.    On  the  other  hand,  they 


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\RE     \T   THE    TOP    OF    THE    VENTILATING    DLCTS    FROM    THE    ROOT 

CELLAR   BELOW 


WINDOWS     \S   SHOWN    in     111!     Dl    1   \ll     IN    IIG.    JJ.      I  ARM    lU   II. DINGS 
FOR    CLIFFORD    V.     BUOKAW.     I_.s(^.  (U.FN   C()\F.   L.   1. 


THECOWBARN  77 

can  be  taken  out  at  will,  and  should  be  in  the  summertime^ 
when  the  blinds  are  used  instead.  The  blinds  are  hooked  in 
and  remain  stationary  in  the  window  openings  throughout  the 
smnmer  months.  It  is  possible  to  close  the  building  entirely 
by  the  blinds,  and  they  regulate  in  a  very  satisfactory  way 
the  amount  of  light  and  air  admitted.  In  the  wintertime  it  is 
advisable  to  have  storm  sash  in  the  cow  barns,  and  these  oc- 
cupy the  same  rabbet  as  the  blinds  and  are  hooked  in  place 
in  the  same  manner.  The  windows,  as  well  as  the  doors,  are 
best  without  trim,  and  the  frames  should  finish  flush  with  the 
plastering.  Even  a  half-round  trim  is  unsanitary  and  col- 
lects dust  to  an  amazing  degree. 

Windows  in  the  cow  barn  should  be  3  ft.,  8  in.  from  the  floor 
and  run  up  as  near  to  the  ceiling  as  possible.  The  flanges  on 
the  cheeks  at  the  side  of  the  window  must  be  arranged  so  that 
the  sash  may  be  easily  taken  out,  and  windows  which  occur  in. 
calf  pens  and  in  horse  stalls  must  always  have  grills  to  keep 
the  animals  from  breaking  the  glass. 

In  the  daily  the  best  form  is  the  double-hung  window.  In 
a  way  this  is  not  quite  so  sanitary  as  the  casement  which  comes 
flush  with  the  wall.  The  difficulty  with  the  casement  window 
is  that  it  is  impossible  to  fasten  it  conveniently  when  open,  and 
in  the  dairy  rooms,  where  windows  should  be  mnnerous,  the 
proper  swinging  of  the  casement  window  is  frequently  ob- 
structed by  the  piping.  Altogether  the  double-himg  window 
is  better  for  the  dairy,  but  it  should  very  rarely  be  used  in 
the  farm  barn. 

UTENSILS. — The  utensils  for  cleaning  the  barn  and  the 
cows — the  shovels,  brooms,  brushes,  etc.,  are  best  kept  on  slate 
shelves  and  hung  against  the  concrete  walls  of  the  feed  room. 
When  they  are  clean  they  are  not  unsightly,  but  quite  the  re- 


78  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

verse.  A  special  place  has  been  assigned  them  in  the  plan 
shown  by  Fig.  3,  where  they  are  intended  to  be  cleaned  as  well 
as  stored.  A  cupboard  is  not  the  place  for  them.  Iron  cup- 
boards with  outside  ventilation  have  been  tried,  but  it  is  im- 
possible to  keep  any  closet  which  is  closed  by  a  door  from  be- 
coming foul  and  infected  with  rubbish.  To  hang  the  utensils 
on  the  waUs  or  place  them  on  slate  shelves,  and  to  keep  all  in 
plain  view  and  where  any  uncleanliness  is  detected  at  once,  is 
the  only  solution  of  the  problem. 

We  have  now  set  forth  the  requirements  of  the  cow  barn  in 
all  their  detail  and  carefully  considered  them  in  the  light  of 
modern  sanitary  research.  Though  good  milk  needs  the  ac- 
commodations of  a  dairy  for  its  further  care,  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  the  actual  quality  of  the  product  is  established 
at  the  cow  barn,  and  that  milk  will  never  be  better  than  it  is 
when  it  leaves  there.  As  the  next  step  in  its  production  has 
to  do  with  the  dairy,  we  will  now  proceed  to  a  discussion  of 
that  building. 


Chapter  III 
THE  DAIRY 

THE  location  of  the  dairy  should  be  such  as  shall  be  most 
convenient  for  the  simple  and  easy  handling  of  the  milk 
after  it  has  been  drawn  from  the  cow.  In  large  herds  of  a 
hundred  milking  cows  or  more,  it  is  probably  better  to  locate 
the  dairy  at  a  distance  and  take  the  milk  to  it  either  by  troUey 
or  by  cart.  It  was  thought  at  one  time  that,  for  sanitary  pur- 
poses, the  dairy  should  be  at  least  75  ft.  distant  from  the  cow 
barn,  but  this  is  not  so — provided,  however,  that  the  cow  bam 
is  properly  designed  and  cared  for.  It  is  much  easier  to  take 
care  of  milk  in  the  dairy  than  in  the  cow  bam,  and  if  it  were 
necessary  to  choose  between  a  clean  dairy  and  a  clean  cow  barn, 
it  would  be  preferable  to  choose  the  clean  cow  barn.  Here  it 
is  that  milk  is  most  exposed  to  contamination  and  here  it  is 
that  most  milk  is  contaminated.  Consequently,  with  a  clean 
cow  barn — and  all  the  plans  and  data  which  have  here  been 
laboriously  compiled  are  for  the  sole  purpose  of  having  a  clean 
cow  barn — it  is  not  in  the  least  objectionable  to  locate  the 
dairy  adjoining  the  cow  barn,  and  even  to  connect  it  by  a  roof, 
so  long  as  it  is  separated  by  fresh  air.  Care  should  be  taken, 
however,  to  keep  the  dairy  roof  lines  low  and  to  place  it  so  that 
it  wiU  shut  out  as  little  as  possible  the  air  and  light  from 
the  cow  barn.  The  larger  the  dairy  building  is,  the  further  it 
should  be  removed  from  the  quarters  of  the  animals.  An 
ideal  disposition,  if  the  grade  permits,  would  be  to  lower  the 

79 


80 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


floor  of  the  dairy  four  or  five  feet,  so  that  from  the  level  of 
the  cow  barn  floor  the  niilk  might  be  poured  directly  over  the 
cooler  in  the  milk  room. 

In  planning  the  dairy  and  its  equipment  it  is  necessary  to 
know  approximately  how  much  milk  is  to  be  taken  care  of, 
and  it  is  usual  to  figure  ten  quarts  (or  twenty  pounds)  a  day 


cow  6ACN 


MILK  REC 
ROOM 


FIG.  23— DAIRY  AT  OAKDALE,  L.  I.,  FOR  F.  G.  BOURNE,  ESQ. 


per  milking  cow.  This  is  rather  more  than  the  average  of 
a  Grade  herd,  and  less  than  the  average  of  a  thoroughbred 
herd  containing  cows  of  advanced  registry,  but  it  is  a  depend- 
able estimate  and  can  be  used  at  all  times. 

In  the  dairy  the  care  of  the  milk  can  be  brought  about  in 
a  mvich  more  flexible  manner  than  is  possible  in  the  cow  barn. 
Fairly  proper  and  adequate  dairy  accommodations  may  be 
found  in  a  building  of  two  rooms — or  even  of  one.  Fig  23 
shows  a  more  generous  solution  of  the  requirements  of  the 


THEDAIEY  81 


dairy  building,  and  we  will  take  this  as  a  typical  plan,  review- 
ing the  smaller  building  later.  This  plan  provides  for  a  milk 
receiving  room,  milk  room,  wash  room,  storage  closet,  laimdry, 
boiler  room,  and  a  toilet  room  for  the  men.  The  method  of 
caring  for  the  milk  in  the  dairy  may  best  be  explained  by  de- 
scribing each  room  and  its  use  separately,  and  in  detail.  We 
will  take  the  rooms  up  in  the  order  mentioned  and  commence 
with  the  milk  receiving  room. 

MILK  RECEIVING  ROOM.—Reve  the  cans  of  milk  are 
received,  and  the  disposition  of  this  room  is  such  that  it  is 
possible  to  pour  the  milk  directly  from  the  milk  receiving  room 
over  the  cooler  without  bringing  the  cans  themselves  or  hav- 
ing the  men  who  deliver  them  come  into  the  milk  room  proper. 
This  room  is  very  necessary  in  large  plants,  but  in  smaller  ones 
its  necessity  diminishes,  so  that  in  the  smallest  type  of  the  pri- 
vate dairy  there  is  no  objection  to  bringing  the  milk  in  the  can 
from  the  cow  stable  directly  into  the  millc  room.  In  the 
present  plan,  Fig.  23,  it  is  expected  that  the  milk  will  be 
brought  in  the  pail  to  the  milk  receiving  room,  where  it  will 
be  weighed  and  its  record  kept.  The  milk  will  be  poured  from 
the  pail  into  a  20-qt.  can  which  ^411  then  be  taken  into  the 
milk  room  by  the  dairjonan,  cooled  and  bottled.  The  separa- 
tor is  located  in  the  milk  receiving  room,  as  the  skimmed  milk 
is  generally  used  as  feed  and  will  not  be  kept  in  the  dairy ;  it 
is  therefore  better  that  it  should  not  come  into  the  dairy  at  all. 
It  is  always  better  to  keep  the  separator  outside  of  the  milk 
room  proper,  as  it  is  a  piece  of  machinery  that  in  a  way  is 
difficult  to  keep  clean.  In  smaller  dairies  with  no  milk  receiv- 
ing room,  the  separator  is  better  in  the  wash  room  than  in  the 
milk  room.  It  is  important  however  that  the  location  always 
be  such  that  the  separator  may  be  conveniently  seen  to  by  the 


82  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

dairjiuau,  who  has  to  give  it  ahnost  constant  supervision 
when  in  use. 

MILK  BOOM. — In  the  milk  room  the  milk  is  cooled  and 
bottled.  It  is  not  our  purpose  to  go  into  a  long  bacterial  anal- 
ysis of  the  reasons  requiring  the  cooling  of  milk ;  practical  ex- 
perience and  scientific  research  have  demonstrated  as  a  fact 
that  the  sooner  milk  is  cooled  after  having  been  drawn  from 
the  animal  the  longer  it  will  keep.  The  reasons  for  quick 
cooling  are  briefly  these:  milk  has  in  it  a  certain  germicide 
propert}^  which  tends  to  keep  it  sterile  for  the  space  of  one  or 
two  hours  after  having  been  drawn  from  the  cow.  Bacteria 
will  not  develop  readily  in  milk  until  after  this  time.  By 
cooling  milk  to  a  temperature  at  which  bacteria  will  not  grow 
rapidly,  50  degrees  Fahrenheit  or  imdcr,  this  germicide  prop- 
erty in  the  milk  is  retamed,  so  that  if,  in  the  process  of  using 
the  milk,  it  should  reach  a  higher  degree  of  temperature,  60 
degrees  or  70  degrees,  where  bacteria  commence  to  grow  rap- 
idly, this  germicide  quality  remains  effective  even  at  a  later 
date,  and  prevents  the  growth  of  bacteria  for  a  short  time. 
Quick  and  adequate  cooling,  therefore,  is  always  essential. 

Now  as  to  the  degi'ee  of  temperature  desirable :  probably  the 
ideal  is  34  degrees  to  40  degrees,  but  this  frequently  entails 
much  expense,  and  for  the  smaller  dairy  is  not  always  feasible. 
If  milk  is  cooled  to  between  40  and  50  degrees  it  is  entirely 
satisfactory  for  the  private  plant,  but  it  must  be  kept  at  all 
times  below  50  degrees,  as  in  a  higher  temperature  bacterial 
growth  commences.  With  a  mechanical  refrigerating  plant 
it  is  not  a  difficult  matter  to  get  the  milk  down  to  34  or  35  de- 
grees immediately,  but  it  is  also  possible  to  get  sufficiently  low 
temperatures  by  much  simpler  methods.  The  simplest  of 
these  is  to  stand  the  usual  20-qt.  cans  in  a  barrel  of  ice- water. 


CON'CRETE   \AT   IN'  WHICH  THE  TWEXTY-QrART  CANS  ARE   I'ACKED 

IN  ICE 


GALVANIZED  IRON  CAN  ARRANGED 
FOR  HOLDING  ICE-WATER.  IT  IS 
CONNECTED  TO  THE  WATER  SUPPLY. 
AND  CRACKED  ICE  IS  PIT  IX  THE 
HOPPER  AT  THE  SIDE 


THEDAIRY  83 


or  pack  tliem  in  ice  (facing  p.  82).  The  milk  from  the  milk- 
er's pail  is  then  poured  into  them.  While  the  cooling  of  the 
milk  in  cans  is  not  as  immediately  effective  as  other  more  ex- 
pensive methods,  it  is  an  entirely  satisfactory  one  for  small 
herds,  where  it  is  essential  that  their  product  be  taken  care  of 
by  the  simplest  and  most  inexpensive  process.  The  time  taken 
to  lower  the  temperature  of  the  milk  to  the  desired  point  by 
this  method  of  cooling  may  be  greatly  shortened  by  stirring 
with  a  long-handled  milk  rod,  but  this  must  be  very  carefully 
done,  and  usually  more  harm  is  brought  about  by  stirring  to  ob- 
tain quicker  cooling  than  would  occur  if  the  milk  were  left  to 
cool  more  slowly  by  itself.  The  great  point  in  the  care  of  milk 
is  to  do  just  as  little  to  it  as  possible.  The  fewer  things  it 
touches  in  the  process  of  cooling,  the  better.  It  is  solely  the 
quantity  of  milk  to  be  cared  for  which  determines  the  man- 
ner of  cooling  and  makes  some  methods  preferable  to  others. 

Another  variety  of  this  idea  is  to  have  the  bottle-filling  table 
made  with  high  sides,  packing  the  bottles  in  ice  and  filling  them 
with  the  warm  milk.  The  bulk  of  milk  being  smaller,  the 
process  of  cooling  will  be  quicker  and  a  low  degree  of  tempera- 
ture more  easily  maintained.  Of  all  the  methods  of  cooling 
readily  accomplished,  this  is  perhaps  the  best,  though  it  is  bet- 
ter adapted  to  the  large  than  to  the  small  plant. 

The  usual  way  of  cooling  milk  is  to  run  it  over  a  milk  cooler, 
of  which  there  are  several  varieties.  All  are  made  on  the 
same  principle :  a  metal  receptacle  filled  with  ice-water,  over 
which  the  milk  flows.  During  the  process  of  cooling,  the 
cooler  is  kept  filled  with  flowing  ice-water,  which  must  enter 
at  the  bottom  and  flow  away  at  the  top.  The  warm  milk 
poured  over  the  cooler  at  the  top  nms  down  and  at  the  bot- 
tom is  chilled  by  the  freshest  and  therefore  the  coldest  ice- 


84  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

water,  wliich  comes  in  contact  with  the  cooler  at  that  point. 
While  the  milk  cooler  continues  in  general  use  and  is  doubt- 
less desirable  under  many  conditions,  it  has  always  seemed  to 
the  author  a  utensil  which  was  liable  at  any  time  to  do  quite 
as  much  harm  as  good.  It  is  one  more  thing  to  keep  clean, 
and  one  more  thing,  when  not  clean,  to  contaminate  the  milk. 
If  milk  can  be  cooled  either  in  the  can  or  in  the  bottle,  and 
the  milk  cooler  eliminated,  it  is  always  better  m  theory  and 
frequently  better  in  practice.  As  before  stated,  the  fewer 
things  milk  touches,  the  better.  The  elimination  of  every  un- 
necessary contact  is  a  point  gained. 

Where  the  cooler  is  used,  ice-water  is  required  and  there  are 
various  plans  for  collecting  it  by  means  of  the  storage  of  ice 
in  the  refrigerator.  For  instance,  large  coils  of  pipe  are  some- 
times placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  ice  chamber,  in  the  hope  that 
the  ice  resting  on  them  will  cool  the  water  as  it  passes  through. 
This  method  only  cools  the  water  that  has  been  standing  in  the 
pipes,  and,  as  soon  as  cii'culation  conmiences,  ceases  to  be  ef- 
fective. The  pipe  coU,  however,  affords  a  small  supply  of 
water  at  a  very  low  temperature  which  is  useful  in  butter  mak- 
ing, and  it  is  not  a  bad  idea  to  have  this  coil  ia  the  refrigerator 
even  when  other  means  are  used  for  milk  cooling. 

Another  method  of  obtaining  cold  water  for  cooling  is  to 
place  a  perforated  coil  above  the  ice  in  the  refrigerator,  which 
will  spray  it;  the  water  will  then  collect  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ice  chamber  and  from  there  it  can  be  rim  through  the  cooler. 
Though  wasteful  of  ice,  this  is  an  entirely  satisfactory  way 
of  getting  water  in  sufficient  quantities  at  a  low  temperature. 
Water  so  cooled  can  be  gotten  to  34  degi'ees,  and  where  ice  can 
be  obtained  at  smaU  cost  it  is  by  far  the  simplest  and  most 
efficient  way  to  get  ice-water  with  which  to  cool  the  milk. 


THEDAIEY  85 


Another  way  and  a  good  one,  is  to  place  above  the  level  of 
the  cooler  a  large  tank,  which  may  be  filled  with  water  and 
ice.  This  tank,  sometimes  placed  in  the  milk  room  itself,  is 
better  located  in  the  wash  room.  If  this  method  is  used  to  any 
extent,  a  separate  place  for  this  tank  could  well  be  provided  at 
some  point  away  from  either  the  dairy  room  or  wash  room,  but 
where  ice  may  be  had  conveniently.  Ice-water  made  as  just 
described  is  not  as  cold  as  that  obtained  by  spraying  the  ice, 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  much  less  extravagant  in  the  use 
of  ice. 

In  conclusion,  we  do  not  wish  to  involve  the  cooling  of  milk 
in  an  agony  of  detail  and  to  confuse  the  mind  of  the  man  who 
is  choosing  between  one  method  and  another.  Milk  when  it 
leaves  the  cow  is  approxhnately  at  90  degrees ;  in  the  smmner, 
by  the  time  it  is  ready  to  go  over  the  cooler,  it  may  be  80  de- 
grees. If  30  degrees  can  be  taken  out  of  it,  bringing  it  down 
to  50  degi'ees  when  it  goes  into  the  refrigerator,  in  bottles,  this 
is  all  that  is  really  required.  Lower  temperatures,  though 
commendable,  are  not  a  necessity.  All  the  suggestions  here 
recorded  are  adequate  for  cooling  milk ;  each  method  will  give 
the  same  degree  of  temperature  if  persisted  in  long  enough, 
and,  temperature  for  temperature,  one  method  is  probably  as 
economical  as  another.  There  seems  to  be  in  the  human  mind, 
especially  if  that  mind  is  interested  in  an  economical  admin- 
istration of  a  farm,  a  decided  inclination  to  save  in  the  use 
of  the  commodities  which  give  the  extremes  of  temperature 
— ice  and  coal.  As  it  hapj^ens,  good  milk  requires  an  abun- 
dance of  both  heat  and  cold,  an  unfortunate  fact  but  one  that 
must  not  be  winked  at,  so  that  the  man  who  really  wishes  good 
milk  must  give  himself  up  to  what  he  ^dll  probaljly  feel  is 
riotous  dissipation  in  this  regard.     If  he  wants  to  avail  him- 


86  MO  BEEN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

self  of  the  scientific  methods  of  the  modem  refrigerating 
plant,  then  he  should  employ  someone  especially  qualified  to 
carry  out  this  line  of  work.  Where  ice  can  be  had  at  reason- 
able cost,  there  is  no  need  of  a  refrigerating  plant  for  milk 
cooling,  except  in  the  large  commercial  establishment. 

The  location  of  the  cooler  requires  some  consideration  Avith 
regard  to  its  height  above  the  floor.  Tins  should  be  sufficient 
to  allow  the  bottles  to  be  filled  at  a  convenient  level.  An  il- 
lustration, opposite,  shows  a  satisfactory  arrangement  for 
the  smaller  problem.  It  will  be  seen  that  it  is  generally  neces- 
sary to  elevate  the  platform  from  which  the  milk  is  poured 
and  the  various  plans  will  show  this  done  in  various  ways. 

Just  as  surely  as  it  is  necessary  to  cool  milk,  the  proper  and 
only  way  to  use  and  to  keep  milk  is  to  store  it  in  bottles  and 
not  in  bulk.  The  best  type  of  bottle  is  one  as  free  from  let- 
tering as  possible,  and  if  lettered  the  letters  should  be  very 
flat  for  easy  cleaning.  After  the  bottle  is  filled  and  capped 
with  a  sterilized  pa]3er  cap,  the  neck  should  be  wrapped  with 
paper  to  keep  the  edge  of  the  bottle  from  soiling.  The  caps 
are  sometimes  parafined,  but  this  is  necessary  only  for  com- 
mercial milk.  Various  fixtures  have  been  devised  for  filling 
bottles  in  sets  of  four,  eight  and  twelve  at  a  time.  For  the 
13urposes  of  the  private  plant,  however,  a  small  bottle-filler, 
filling  four  bottles  at  a  time,  is  all  that  is  necessary.  As 
soon  as  the  milk  has  been  bottled  and  cooled,  it  should  be  put 
at  once  into  the  refrigerator ;  this  may  open  directly  into  the 
milk  room  or  into  the  wash  room.  After  the  milk  is  capped 
in  the  bottle  it  may  be  taken  anywhere  in  the  dairy  without 
fear  of  contamination.  In  large  plants  the  refrigerator  must 
not  open  into  the  milk  room,  but  outside  of  it,  so  that  ship- 
ment of  milk  may  be  made  without  going  into  the  milk  room. 


-:cu 


THE    DAIRY 


87 


Fig.  28  shows  the  plan  of  a  commercial  dairy  which  gives  the 
usual  and  an  entirely  satisfactory  location  of  the  refrigerator. 
The  refrigerator,  like  the  silo,  is  generally  best  purchased 
from  a  manufacturer  of  refrigerators.  It  is  always  more  at- 
tractive when  lined  with  glass,  and  should  be  so  lined  for  the 


COWCR.E.TE.  I 

TWO  Z'  LiCTE-RS'/ 

OF  CORK 

A'  Of  CONCREJE-' 

5E.CT10N 


CEMENT 
PLASTER 
2 "OF  CORK. 
3"  TILE.  BLOCKS 
CORK.    FILL 
WATER  PROOFING 
3-TILE   BLOCKS 
AIR    SPACE. 
CONCRLTE. 


PLAN- AND- 

SLCTION5-0r- 

2LF2IGL2AM- 


PLAN 

Stanley  Cunningham,  Jr.,  Architect 
FIG.  24 — DETAIL   OP  CONCRETE  REPRIGEKATOR 


SS  MODERN    FARM    BUILDINGS 

private  dairy.  For  years  the  author  drew  plans  for  the  re- 
frigerators and  had  them  built  by  the  general  contractor,  but 
it  is  cheaper  and  better  to  get  them  from  those  ayIio  are  spe- 
cialists in  that  Ime.  Where  the  buildings  are  of  reenforced 
concrete,  or  for  a  commercial  plant,  there  is  nothing  better 
than  a  reenforced  concrete  refrigerator.  It  is  non-absorbent 
and  practically  indestructible.  Fig.  24  shows  one  in  detail 
which  proved  entirely  satisfactory  and  was  incorporated  in 
the  farm  buildings,  the  plan  of  which  is  sho^^^l  on  page  141. 

The  butter  w^orker,  the  churn  and  the  cream  ripening  vat 
are  usually  placed  in  the  milk  room  of  the  smaller  dairy. 

WASH  BOOM. — The  wash  room  is  for  the  purpose  of 
washmg  all  the  utensils,  and  a  very  satisfactory  sink  made 
of  galvanized  iron  (opposite)  has  been  developed  for  this 
work.  In  the  larger  dairy  building,  good  sinks  of  about  the 
same  design  have  been  made  in  concrete,  but  they  must  be  con- 
structed by  men  competent  to  do  this  work,  and  such  men  are 
hard  to  find.  The  galvanized  iron  sink  is  of  stock  manu- 
facture and  answers  all  purposes  for  usual  conditions.  It  is 
designed  with  two  large  compartments  for  general  washing, 
and  over  one  is  placed  a  steam  turbine  bottle  washer.  At  one 
end  of  the  sink  is  a  steam  jet  for  washing  cans,  pails,  etc. ;  at 
the  other  is  a  rinsing  jet  for  rinsing  the  bottles  after  washing. 
The  bottles  are  rinsed  after  placing  them  in  the  cases,  and  the 
jet  is  arranged  to  rinse  four  bottles  at  a  time,  the  cases  holding 
either  eight  bottles  in  two  groups  of  four,  or  twelve  bottles  in 
three  groups  of  four.  As  the  j)aper  caps  used  for  capping  the 
bottles,  bits  of  broken  glass,  etc.,  are  liable  to  get  into  the  sink, 
it  is  better  not  connected  direct  to  the  soil  lines  as  is  ordinarily 
done,  but  to  empty  into  a  bell  trap  which  shall  not  only  act 
as  the  outlet  for  the  waste  water  of  the  sink,  but  take  the  wash 


THE   DAIRY  WASH   SINK 


PIPE-HACK  TABLE— TWO  VARIETIES 


THEDAIEY  89 


on  the  floor  as  well.  This  system  of  draiuing  the  sink  is  im- 
portant, and  entirely  prevents  the  stoppage  of  the  plumbing 
pipes  by  litter  and  waste  that  would  otherwise  clog  them. 

In  connection  with  the  work  of  the  dairy,  and  generally  in 
the  wash  room,  it  is  well  to  have  a  pipe  rack  table,  a  very  use- 
ful, serviceable  and  sanitary  piece  of  dairy  furniture. 

The  Babcock  tester  for  determining  the  percentage  of  butter 
fat  in  milk,  has  come  into  general  use,  and  indeed  is  necessary 
for  intelligent  dairying.  This  should  be  located  in  the  wash 
room ;  situated,  however,  so  that  the  exhaust  from  the  turbine 
can  go  out  through  the  wall,  as  these  machines  are  made 
cheaply  and  the  exhaust  from  them  must  be  exceptionally  free 
in  order  that  they  work  well.  A  slate  slab  is  a  good  surface 
for  it  to  stand  on,  and  in  comieetion  with  this  a  sink  near  at 
hand  is  desirable.  The  large  sink  will  answer  if  it  is  reason- 
ably convenient. 

An  important  matter  is  the  real  sterilization  of  all  the 
utensils  of  the  dairy.  This  is  best  done  by  means  of  the  high- 
pressure  sterilizer  (facing  page  90)  which  is  large  in  size  and 
expensive  in  first  cost.  All  the  utensils  are  i^ut  in  here,  the 
door  is  closed,  and  the  contents  are  subjected  to  a  steam  pres- 
sure of  ten  pounds ;  this  gives  a  temperature  of  240  degrees 
Fahrenheit,  which  is  absolutely  destructive  to  all  germ  life. 
For  large  dairies  and  where  the  best  type  of  service  is  wanted, 
this  is  the  thing,  but  in  smaller  dairies  the  high-pressure  ster- 
ilizer is  not  absolutely  essential,  and  nearly  the  same  result 
may  be  obtained  by  using  a  steam  chest  into  which  the  uten- 
sils are  put  as  into  the  large  sterilizer,  and  here  subjected  to 
a  CONTINUOUS  FLOW  of  live  steam.  Any  utensil  subjected  to 
live  steam  for  twenty  minutes  is  perfectly  sterilized,  but  the 
difficulty  of  the  steam  chest,  or  low-pressure  sterilizer,  is  that 


90  MODERN   FAEM   BUILDINGS 

in  fillmg  it  with  the  various  utensils  some  are  liable  to  get  the 
flow  of  live  steam  less  advantageously  than  others ;  so  that  its 
work  is  not  so  definite  in  every  detail  as  the  larger  and 
heavier  instrument.  While  the  greater  cost  of  the  high- 
pressure  sterilizer  ^  precludes  its  use  in  the  smaller  dairy,  yet 
there  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  more  efficient  than  the  low-pres- 
sure fixture.  Either  sterilizer  affords  a  perfect  storage 
place  for  the  utensils  of  the  dair}^  after  sterilizing,  and  these 
should  always  remain  there  until  the  tune  comes  to  use  them. 
This  refers  to  everything  used  in  the  production  of  milk — 
the  milkuig-stools,  milk  j^ails,  cans,  coolers,  milk  bottles,  etc. 
As  subsequent  plans  will  show,  the  sterilizer — opening  at 
each  end — has  one  door  in  the  wash  room,  the  other  iu  the 
milk  room. 

In  connection  with  the  wash  room  it  is  always  desirable  to 
have  a  store  room  for  barrels  of  washing  solution,  extra  bot- 
tles, caps  and  supplies,  and  these  are  best  provided  for  on  slate 
shelves.  A  store  room  should  always  have  light  and  ventila- 
tion and  need  not  necessarily  open  from  the  wash  room;  it 
can  open  from  any  other  room  or  passageway  except  the  milk 
room,  which  must  always  be  kept  inviolate. 

LAUNDRY. — Any  milking  which  is  properly  done  should 
be  done  iu  milking  suits,  fresh  at  each  milking,  and  the  one- 
piece  suit  is  the  best.  It  is  therefore  desirable  to  have  a  small 
laundry  for  washing  not  only  the  suits  themselves,  but  the 
towels,  hand  cloths,  etc.,  used  in  the  work  of  obtaining  clean 
milk.  The  laundry  machinery  (opposite)  is  all  of  stock 
patterns,  and  these  fixtures  can  be  run  by  a  motor,  if  elec- 
tricity  is   to   be   had,   or   by   a   small   steam   engine.    AU 

1  The  price  of  the  sterilizer  in  the  catalogue  of  The  Rutland  Mfg.  Company  is 
$735.     There  is  a  discount,  however,  from  this  price. 


HIGH-PRESSURE     STERILIZER     FILLED     WITH 
READY  FOR  STERILIZIN'G 


DAIRY     UTENSILS 


LAI  XDRY  MACHINERY  FOR  THE  DAIRY 


THEDAIRY  91 


suits,  cloths,  etc.,  are  rough-dried  and  need  not  be  ironed.  In 
the  laundrj'  the  same  system  of  drainage  should  be  used 
as  that  employed  for  the  wash  room  sink — the  wash- 
ing fixtures  emptying  into  a  bell  trap  which  serves  for 
the  floor  drainage  as  well.  In  the  plan  shown  in  Fig. 
23,  two  wash-basins  and  lockers  have  been  added  in 
the  laundry  for  the  men's  use  preparatory  to  milking.  It 
was  formerly  the  custom  to  provide  a  separate  wash  room  for 
the  men,  but  for  the  establishment  we  are  discussing,  the  wash- 
ing place  for  the  milkers  is  very  well  contained  in  the  laundry. 
In  connection  with  the  laundry  work  there  must  be  provided 
a  dryer  for  drying  the  suits ;  this  is  no  more  than  a  closet  with 
iron  doors  and  steam  coils  on  each  side.  Between  these  the 
rack  on  which  the  washed  garments  are  hung  is  rolled.  This 
little  room  must  have  outside  ventilation  with  an  inlet  of  fresh 
air  at  the  bottom  and  an  outlet  for  the  warm  air  at  the  top. 
The  suits  and  cloths  should  be  left  in  here  until  they  are  re- 
quired for  use,  just  as  the  utensils  for  dairying  are  left  in 
the  sterilizer.  This  drying-room  may  also  be  used  as  a  steriliz- 
ing-closet  for  the  men's  suits,  and  a  perforated  steam  pipe  in 
addition  to  the  pipes  for  heating  may  be  installed  to  advan- 
tage. The  closet  is  filled  with  steam,  and  the  suits,  after  wash- 
ing, are  sterilized  in  the  same  manner  as  the  various  utensils 
are  sterilized,  in  the  low-pressure  sterilizer  by  a  continuous 
flow  of  live  steam.  This  is  carrying  things  rather  farther  than 
absolutely  necessary,  but  anyone  especially  interested  in  the 
extreme  scientific  view  of  milk  production  can  indulge  his 
fancy  to  his  advantage  by  sterilizing  the  milkers'  clothes.  Or- 
dinarily, clothes  washed  clean  with  soap  and  hot  water  an- 
swer every  requirement.  The  best  receptacle  for  the  soiled 
suits  is  a  large  galvanized  iron  can  with  a  cover,  siaiilar  to  an 


92  MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

ash  can,  wliicli  it  is  quite  proper  to  keep  in  the  laundry.  It 
should  stand  on  legs  and  care  should  be  taken  to  keep  it  clean. 
A  similar  can  is  necessary  for  the  washing  solution  used  in 
the  wash  room.  The  laundry  washing  is  done  with  soft  soap, 
made  up  in  a  receptacle  furnished  with  the  laundry  fixtures. 

BOILER  ROOM:  LIVE  STEAM.— Even  the  smallest 
dairy  requires  live  steam  properly  to  clean  utensils  which  have 
been  soiled  by  milk,  and  it  is  much  better  to  have  a  small  high- 
pressure  steam  boiler  and  subject  all  utensils  to  live  steam 
than  to  use  hot  water.  Hot  water  cannot  be  used  hot  enough 
and  it  does  not  clean  sufficiently.  Anyone  can  prove  this  state- 
ment if  he  will  sterilize  a  milk  can  in  the  high-pressure  steril- 
izer and  wash  another  with  hot  water,  put  the  covers  tightly 
on  both  and  stand  them  in  the  sun  for  six  hours.  If  he  will 
then  remove  the  covers  he  can  tell  without  any  scientific  anal- 
ysis, other  than  that  made  by  his  nose,  which  can  has  been 
sterilized  and  which  has  not.  In  dairies,  the  general  scope 
of  which  is  similar  to  the  one  we  have  been  considering,  it  is 
well  to  have  a  fairly  good-sized  boiler  room,  that  a  place  may 
be  had  for  a  work-bench  where  a  small  amount  of  tinkering 
can  be  done.  The  floor  of  the  boiler  room  is  drained  by  a 
bell  trap  so  placed  that  the  boiler  may  be  blown  off  over  it. 

The  location  of  the  water-closet  for  the  men  has  al- 
ways been  a  trying  problem.  To  put  this  off  the  boiler  room, 
as  indicated,  is  to  locate  it  in  perhaps  the  least  objectionable 
place.  Here  it  has  the  advantage  of  warmth  and  remoteness 
from  everything  connected  with  the  milk.  To  make  the  iso- 
lation more  complete,  it  has  sometimes  been  planned  with  an 
outside  door  only,  but  this  is  bad  in  practice  as  it  makes  con- 
stant supervision  difficult.  A  modern  fixture  wliich  is  kept 
scrupulously  clean  at  all  times  would  hardly  be  objectionable 


THEDAIRY  93 


at  any  convenient  point.  On  the  other  hand  a  dirty  fixture 
would  be  objectionable  at  every  point.  The  uncertainty  as 
to  condition  creates  the  uncertainty  as  to  position,  and  any- 
one who  is  able  to  control  the  former  may  readily  point  out 
the  latter. 

We  have  previously  dwelt  upon  the  absolute  necessity  of 
live  steam  for  the  cleaning  of  the  floors,  walls  and  ceilings,  and 
of  all  utensils,  not  only  in  the  dairy  but  in  the  cow  barn,  and 
for  this  a  very  simple  and  effective  fixture  has  been  devised, 


COLO 
W/XTE.R 


STEAM 


HOT 
WATER 


FIG.      25— McDANIEL'S      SUCTION     T, 

FROM  WHICH   COLD   WATER,    STEAM 

OE  HOT  WATER  MAY  BE  DRAWN 


the  trade  name  of  which  is  McDaniel's  Suction  T  (Fig.  25). 
This  is  piped  to  water  and  to  live  steam,  so  that  it  is  possible 
to  get  cold  water  or  live  steam  or  any  combination  of  the  two 
from  the  same  jet.  Every  room  in  the  dairy,  the  compartment 
of  the  milking  cows  and  the  dry  stock  barn,  should  have  this 
connection,  so  that  the  fioors  and  walls  may  be  hosed  down 
with  boiling  water.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  clean  some 
feeds  from  the  feeding-trough  without  boiling  water,  and  we 
cannot  emphasize  too  strongly  the  importance  of  live  steam. 
Good  dairying  cannot  be  done  without  it. 

Plans  of  Daieies 

"While  the  i)lan  of  the  dairy  we  have  been  considering  is  a 
liberal  housing  of  the  dairy  ai)j)aratus,  yet  satisfactory  milk 


94 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


can  be  made  with  simpler  accommodations,  and  we  now  take 
up  briefly  a  few  plans  of  smaller  dairies  which  have  worked 
out  well  and  in  which  the  important  features  we  have  referred 
to  have  been  embodied. 

Fig.  26  shows  a  building  containing  a  milk  room,  a  wash 


[rlfrig-J 

PORCH 

COVE.RE.0 
PASSAGE. 
TC>  COW  BAQK 


Designed  by  Stanley  Cunningham,  Jr. 

FIG.  26 — PLAN  OF   SMALL  DAIRY  AT  ROSLTN,   L.   I.,    FOB  BENJAMIN   STERN, 

ESQ. 


room  and  a  boiler  room.  The  lavatory  for  the  men  is  put  in 
the  passageway  to  the  cow  barn,  which  is  made  sufficiently 
large  to  contain  a  wash-basin  and  two  lockers.  As  the  site 
was  constricted,  the  building  being  placed  in  the  obtuse  angle 
formed  by  two  roads,  the  refrigerator  was  located  at  the  milk 
room,  so  that  it  could  be  easily  filled  from  the  road.  The  milk 
in  this  dairy  was  cooled  from  a  tank  of  ice-water  put  in  the 
wash  room  and  piped  through  the  wall  into  the  dairy  room. 
The  "empties"  come  back  into  the  wash  room  through  an 
outside  entrance  at  the  rear.  In  this  little  building  no  ster- 
ilizing closet  was  installed.    It  is  jDossible  with  care  to  clean 


THE    DAIRY 


95 


very  thoroughly  the  milk  bottles  and  utensils  by  jets  of  live 
steam  at  the  wash  sink.  "While  this  method  is  better  than 
washing  with  hot  water  only,  it  is  not  so  efficient  as  the  low- 
pressure  sterilizer,  and  a  soiled  utensil  cannot  be  sterilized 
with  certainty  in  this  manner. 


cow 

DA,RN 


]Q| 


'  LOCKE.RS  ^ASIW 

MENS    WAS^S    ROOM 


COVE.  RED 
FftSSAQE 


PORCH 
S    «.  12' 


FIG.   27 — DAIRY  AT   HAETSDALE,    MASS. 


A  stm  simpler  type  of  dairy  is  shown  in  Fig.  27.  A  pas- 
sage was  taken  off  from  the  feed  room  in  an  existing  cow 
stable.  Here  were  located  thi-ee  lockers  and  a  wash-basin,  the 
latter  opposite  the  window,  for  a  man  washing  his  hands  pre- 
paratory to  milking  must  have  good  light  in  order  to  see  that 
they  are  clean.  The  dairy,  as  all  dairies  shown,  is  separated 
from  the  cow  bam  by  a  passageway.  The  milk  is  here  taken 
care  of  in  the  one  room,  equipped  with  a  sink,  milk  cooler,  a 


96 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


pipe  rack  table,  sej^ai^ator,  churn  and  butter  worker.  The 
cooler  next  to  the  refrigerator  was  cooled  by  water  collected 
in  the  refrigerator.  The  boiler  room  is  of  fair  size,  with  a  coal 
bunker  sufficient  for  a  season's  supply  of  coal.  This  dairy 
plan  is  the  simplest  solution  of  the  problem,  and  efficient  if 
run  on  modern  methods. 


O     2    4    «.   8   lO 


TBDLLtY 


FIG.  28— PLAN  OF  DAIRY  AT  CEDARHURST.  L.  I. 


Fig.  28  shows  a  plan  of  a  commercial  dairy  designed  to  take 
care  of  one  hundred  miUdng  cows.  This  dairy  was  located  at 
a  distance  from  the  farm  barn,  the  milk  being  sent  to  it  on 
an  elevated  trolley.  This  practice  was  considered  advisable 
at  that  time,  but  with  the  improved  methods  of  caring  for 
the  stable  and  the  increasing  proof  had  on  every  side  that 
stables  can  be  kept  clean,  the  practice  of  locating  the  dairy 
away  from  a  milking  stable  of  no  more  than  a  hundred  cows 
is  decreasing.  The  milk  from  the  barn  in  20-qt.  cans  was 
received  in  the  milk  receiving  room,  the  floor  of  which  is  8  ft. 
above  the  level  of  the  floor  of  the  milk  room.  From  the  milk 
receiving  room,  the  milk  is  poured  either  directly  over  the 
cooler  or  into  the  receiving  vat  for  the  separator.    In  this  in- 


THEDAIRY  97 


stance  the  milk  is  cooled  by  artificial  refrigeration.  After 
the  niilk  is  bottled  and  capped,  it  is  placed  in  the  refrigerator, 
from  which  shipment  is  made  without  going  into  the  milk 
room.  In  large  plants,  as  previously  pointed  out,  it  ought 
not  to  be  necessary  to  go  into  the  milk  room  for  the  shipping 
of  milk,  and  in  this  plan  the  milk  room  is  isolated  so  that  no 
traffic  through  it  is  necessary;  in  fact  no  one  was  allowed  in 
the  milk  room  without  a  sterilized  suit  and  milk  cap  on,  and 
those  wishing  to  see  the  process  of  taking  care  of  the  milk 
could  do  so  by  looking  through  the  large  plate  glass  window  in 
the  partition  between  the  wash  room  and  the  milk  room.  This 
is  a  feature  always  advisable  in  the  large  dairy. 

The  men's  wash  room,  with  shower,  basins  and  lockers,  ad- 
joins the  laundry,  where  the  suits  were  washed,  sterilized  and 
dried,  and  the  toilet  located  off  the  men's  entrance  did  not 
prove  to  be  objectionable  here.  A  storage  room  and  office  is 
placed  at  the  entrance.  This  dairy  follows  out  in  every  par- 
ticular the  requirements  of  certified  milk,  and  can  easily  pro- 
vide for  the  quantity  of  milk  which  a  herd  of  seventy-five 
or  a  himdred  milking  cows  would  produce. 

HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  OF  TEE  DAIRY.— 
The  dairy  requires  some  thought  as  to  its  ventilation,  es- 
pecially the  larger  structure.  It  is  well  to  arrange  an  outlet 
vent  between  the  milk  room  and  the  wash  room  so  that  venti- 
lation from  both  rooms  may  be  had  through  it.  If  a  scuttle  is 
put  in  the  ceiling  for  ventilation — and  it  is  not  advisable — it 
should  never  be  over  the  bottling-table,  but  always  in  one  cor- 
ner of  the  room  and  as  far  removed  as  possible  from  those 
places  where  the  milk  will  be  exposed.  It  is  advocated  by 
some  that  the  fresh  air  be  let  in  thi'ough  an  inlet  duct  in  the 
side  wall,  but  this  does  not  seem  to  be  any  advantage,  the  duct 


y 


98  MODEEN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

forming  a  place  where  dust  will  lodge  and  where  it  is  difficult 
to  dislodge  it.  If  such  inlet  ducts  are  put  in  the  dairy,  it  is 
well  to  have  the  interior  register  faces  open  on  hinges,  so  that 
the  ducts,  plastered  smooth  on  the  inside  and  drained  at  the 
bottom,  may  be  thoroughly  washed  out.  Air  is  better  let  into 
the  building  through  the  window,  all  windows  being  screened 
with  muslin  screens,  arranged  so  that  the  muslin  may  be  taken 
out  and  either  washed  or  renewed.  The  muslin  clarifies  the 
air  coming  through  it  and  becomes  astonishingly  dusty  in  a 
short  time.  Ordinarily  the  dairy  needs  very  little  ventila- 
tion and  is  better  without  it  when  the  milk  is  exposed.  Be- 
fore using  the  milk  room,  it  should  be  filled  with  live  steam, 
which  not  only  acts  as  a  sterilizer,  but  also  precipitates  the 
dust.  The  same  sanitary  methods  of  construction  should  be 
used  in  the  dairy  as  suggested  for  the  cow  bam,  and  all  pro- 
jections and  moldings  should  be  eliminated;  the  walls  and 
ceilings  plastered  in  cement,  and  the  floors  made  of  concrete, 
never  of  wood. 

All  the  rooms  should  be  heated,  though  not  much  heat  is  re- 
quired in  either  the  wash  room  or  the  milk  room  if  the  high- 
pressure  sterilizer  is  installed.  The  best  type  of  radiation  is 
the  steam  coil,  which  should  always  be  placed  on  the  walls  and 
never  on  the  ceiling,  for  in  washing  down  the  daiiy  rooms  the 
water  di"ips  from  the  ceiling  coils,  which  for  this  reason  are 
objectionable. 


Chapter  IV 
ADMINISTRATION 

IT  seems  better  to  continue  here  with  the  subject  of  adminis- 
tration while  the  details  of  the  cow  barn  and  dairy  build- 
ing are  stiU  fresh  in  mind ;  for  in  the  making  of  clean  milk  it 
is  the  method  of  doing  the  work  which  really  coimts.  Care- 
lessness in  this  regard  'nail  very  quickly  offset  the  advantages 
of  a  well-equipped  dairy  barn,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  careful 
methods  can  produce  excellent  milk  from  inferior  buildings 
and  equipment.  Even  the  bacteriologist  feels  that  the  num- 
ber of  bacteria  counted  on  his  microscope  plate  is  an  insig- 
nificant matter  compared  with  the  general  administration  of 
a  dairy  plant.  Dr.  Rowland  G.  Freeman  has  stated  his  opin- 
ion as  to  the  importance  of  controlling  the  source  of  the  milk 
supply  rather  than  to  attempt  to  determine  its  character  by 
bacteria  counts,  in  these  words : 

"It  seems  to  me  that  while  the  counts  of  bacteria  are  ex- 
ceedingly valuable  as  an  exponent  of  cleanliness  and  proper 
handling  of  milk,  they  should  be  used  only  to  prevent  careless- 
ness at  the  dairy  and  to  stimulate  better  methods  and  disci- 
pline. The  opinion  of  a  milk  commission  of  representative 
men  (experts),  based  on  an  actual  knowledge  of  the  manage- 
ment of  the  dairy,  is  of  vastly  more  value  to  the  medical  j)ro- 
fession  and  to  the  public  than  any  statement  regarding  the 
precise  number  of  bacteria  in  the  milk  upon  any  given  day  or 
days.    The  most  important  thing,  after  all,  is  such  a  regime 

99 


100         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

as  shall  make  contamination  by  pathogenic  organisms  improb- 
able, and  at  the  same  time  insiu-e  that  the  milk  is  produced 
under  such  conditions  of  cleanliness  that  other  bacterial  con- 
taminations will  be  reduced  to  the  minimum." 

The  author  has  been  sorely  tried  many  times  at  seeing  a 
complete  and  expensive  group  of  buildings  turned  over  to  ig- 
norance and  sloth  and  allowed  to  become  dirty  and  foul 
through  neglect. 

To  begin  with,  we  must  repeat  that  in  the  modern  farm 
barn  the  great  contaminator  of  milk  is  dust,  and  that  milk  is 
primarily  infected  with  bacteria  during  the  process  of  milking. 
The  importance  of  a  cow  barn  free  from  dust  is  so  apparent 
that  a  number  of  schemes  have  been  tried  by  which  the  cows 
were  completely  cleaned  and  groomed  and  then  taken  to  a 
"milking  barn,"  where  they  were  milked,  either  the  entire 
herd  at  once,  or  in  relays.  Nothing  was  done  in  the  milking 
barn  but  the  milking.  Theoretically  this  is  an  interesting  idea 
and — for  nursery  milk  and  the  like — ought  to  be  adopted. 
There  are,  however,  very  few  building  problems  that  are  not 
limited  by  the  cost,  and  the  general  adoption  of  this  scheme  has 
been  prevented  on  that  account,  though  it  ought  to  be  more  gen- 
erally used,  especially  for  the  smaller  herd.  Fig.  29  shows  this 
idea  in  detail.  The  milking  barn  scheme  settles  the  matter  of 
bedding  very  readily,  as  with  this  plan  the  bedding  is  kept 
away  from  the  milk,  and  the  cleaning  of  the  cows  outside  the 
room  in  which  they  are  milked  is  an  advantage.^ 

1  Since  this  was  written,  the  author  has  learned  that  some  who  have  tried  the  idea, 
of  cleaning  the  cows  in  one  barn  and  milking  them  in  another,  object  to  it  for  this  rea- 
son: that  moving  the  cows  after  cleaning  to  the  milking  barn  excites  them  so  that  they 
will  not  let  down  their  milk  and,  consequently,  there  is  a  falling  off  in  the  milk  record. 
If  the  transfer  of  the  animals  is  made  quietly,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  quantity  of 
milk  should  suffer  from  it.     But  it  does  show  how  necessary  it  is  that  the  cleaning. 


[101] 


102         MODEEN   FAEM   BUILDINGS 

The  feeding,  cleaning  and  milking  of  the  cows  in  one  build- 
ing, causes  certain  restrictions  in  the  manner  and  in  the  time 
of  feeding,  cleaning,  and  milking.  The  farmer's  old-fash- 
ioned custom  was  to  milk  his  cows  while  they  were  feeding. 
This  is  the  worst  possible  way.  The  modern  method  is  to  re- 
move the  bedding  and  to  hose  do'uni  the  walls  and  floors  thor- 
oughly; the  cows  then  come  into  the  barn  for  their  cleaning, 
at  least  one  hour  before  milking,  so  that  the  dust  arising  from 
this  operation  may  have  time  to  settle  before  the  milking  is 
begun.  Assimiing  that  the  time  required  to  groom  the  cows 
is  thirty  to  forty  minutes,  twenty  to  thirty  minutes  must  be  al- 
lowed for  the  settling  of  the  dust  preparatory  to  milking.  Not 
until  after  the  last  cow  has  been  milked,  and  the  milk  taken 
to  the  dairy,  should  the  herd  be  fed  and  bedded.  As  a  usual 
thing,  a  rather  better  grade  of  milk  is  had  at  the  afternoon 
milking  than  in  the  morning's  milking,  when  the  cows  have 
been  in  the  stable  all  night  and  the  stable  in  consequence  is 
less  free  from  dust,  although  if  the  same  time  is  allowed  in  the 
morning  as  in  the  afternoon  for  the  settlement  of  dust  after 
cleaning  the  cattle,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  morning's  milk 
should  not  equal  the  night's.  In  any  event,  the  practice  of 
morning  milking  before  cleaning  out  the  stable  is  a  filthy  one, 
and  should  not  be  tolerated  under  any  circumstances.  The 
cleanliness  of  the  stable  and  dairy  must  be  established  by  clean- 
ing with  water  and  the  washing  away  of  all  infectious  particles, 
and  not  by  the  use  of  disinfectants  to  destroy  them.  Milk 
possesses  a  peculiar  power  to  absorb  odors,  and  especially  the 

milking,  and  the  t-ending  of  the  herd  should  at  all  times  go  on  gently  and  quietly. 
Yelling,  kicking  and  chasing  the  animals,  invariably  done  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  by 
the  farmer's  boy,  is  not  only  brutal  and  unnecessary,  but  it  operates  to  the  owner's  dis- 
tinct disadvantage  in  decreasing  the  milk  flow. 


THE   BEST   PLACE   FOR   THE   ICE   HOUSE   IS   THE   WOODS. 
FARM,  STERLINGTON,  N.  Y. 


SKYLAXDS 


THIS   METHOD    IS    BETTER   THAN   THE    LSK   OF   DISIXFECTAN'TS    FOR 
CLEANING  THE  COW  BARN 


ADMINISTRATION  103 

odors  of  carbolic  acid,  creoline,  lysol,  etc.,  and  a  stable  prop- 
erly kept  does  not  need  chemicals  to  insure  its  cleanliness. 

It  is  usual,  in  providing  help  for  large  herds,  to  allow  an 
average  of  ten  to  twelve  cows  to  one  milker,  who  has  entire 
charge  of  grooming  and  milking  them.  This  is  over  and  above 
the  help  required  in  the  dairy.  In  the  smaller  herd  of  ten 
cows  or  thereabouts,  it  will  require  a  herdsman  and  a  dairyman 
properly  to  provide  for  them.  One  competent  man,  however, 
can  take  care  of  three  or  four  milking  cows  and  their  prod- 
uct. 

At  the  risk  of  some  repetition,  we  will  now  give  suggestions 
for  the  proper  care  of  animals  at  milking  time  and  for  a  proper 
method  of  milking.  These  requirements,  at  first  blush,  may 
seem  to  be  impractical,  too  arduous,  or  too  intricate,  all  ac- 
cording to  the  humor  or  the  moderation  of  mind  of  the  in- 
dividual who  scans  them.  They  represent,  nevertheless,  what 
should  be  insisted  upon  by  the  man  with  a  herd  of  a  dozen 
or  more  thoroughbred  milking  cows,  who  wants  his  milk  pro- 
duced in  a  thoroughly  sanitary  manner  and  is  willing  to  pro- 
vide everything  in  the  way  of  building  and  equipment  to  have 
it  so.  In  the  smaller  problem,  excellent  results  may  be  ob- 
tained with  simpler  means,  but  real  cleanliness,  which  is  the 
direct  object  of  all  effort  of  administration,  must  be  obtained 
by  using  the  essence  of  these  suggestions,  perhaps  in  a  modi- 
fied form. 

To  commence  with  the  cow :  the  hair  on  the  flanks,  the  udder 
and  adjacent  parts,  must  be  kept  short  by  being  clipped  every 
two  or  three  weeks,  as  the  individual  animal  may  require. 
This  is  necessary,  as  short  hair  harbors  less  dirt  than  long  hair. 
With  short  hair  the  skin  is  more  easily  cleaned  of  dirt  and 
dandruff — a  particularly  offensive  thing  by  which  milk  is  fre- 


104         MODEEN   FAEM   BUILDINGS 

quently  contaminated.  Before  each  milking  she  must  be 
well  groomed  with  a  good  stiff  brush,  which  in  turn 
should  be  kept  clean  by  the  liberal  use  of  the  curry- 
comb; the  latter,  however,  should  not  be  used  to  any  extent 
on  the  animal.  After  this  oi^eration  she  should  be  rubbed 
off  with  a  fresh  sterilized  rubbing-cloth.  The  tail,  udder 
and  adjacent  parts  are  then  carefully  washed  with  warm 
water  and  washing  compound,  and  then  dried;  -finally  a 
fresh  damp  cloth  is  passed  over  the  udder  in  order  to  allay  any 
possible  dust  which  may  have  settled  after  the  cow  has  been 
groomed  and  rubbed  off.  The  dampening  of  the  udder  is  the 
last  operation  preceding  the  milking.  To  prevent  the  cows 
switching  their  tails  while  being  milked,  a  wire  tail-holder  has 
been  devised  and  is  frequently  used.  This  is  not  necessary 
and  is  sometimes  undesirable.  If  the  cow's  tail  has  been 
properly  cleaned  and  is  kept  so,  there  is  no  harm  in  allowing 
her  the  liberty  of  using  it.  While  the  cows  are  being  cleaned, 
a  rope  is  stretched  under  all  the  stanchions  to  prevent  the  ani- 
mals from  lying  down.  This  is  removed  after  the  milking, 
and  the  accustomed  liberty  is  again  allowed.  These  details 
precede  each  milking. 

The  stables  should  be  cleaned  at  least  an  hour  before  milk- 
ing time.  After  the  stalls  and  gutters  have  been  hosed  down, 
the  floor  and  walls  are  sprayed  with  water  and  the  gtitters 
sterilized  with  boiling  water.  Even  in  the  summer  the  doors 
and  windows  are  best  closed  during  milking,  and  the  presence 
of  feed  in  the  stable  should  be  absolutely  forbidden  at  this 
time. 

The  men  ought  to  be  provided  with  two  separate  suits  of 
overalls  and  to  prevent  the  possible  interchange  of  these  they 
are  better  of  different  colors — the  milking  suit  of  white  and 


ADMINISTRATION  105 

the  barn  suit  of  brown  or  blue.  The  bam  suit  is  worn  at  all 
times  except  when  the  cows  are  being  milked.  The  men 
should  have  the  barn  suits  on  when  the  cows  are  being 
groomed;  that  is  while  the  currycomb,  brush  and  rubbing- 
cloth  are  employed.  When  this  part  of  the  cow's  toilet  is 
completed,  the  men  go  to  their  wash  room,  where  they  take  off 
the  bam  suit  and  hang  it  up  in  a  closet,  or  locker,  provided  for 
that  purpose.  They  then  proceed  to  the  wash  room  for  a 
shower  bath,  especially  necessary  when  the  work  has  been  in 
the  field  or  about  the  ensilage.  The  hands  must  be  washed 
very  carefully  in  hot  water  with  castile  soap  and  a  good  stiff 
nail-brush.  After  the  bath,  sterilized  suits  and  caps  are  put 
on,  and  with  milk  stools,  pails,  cloths  and  strainers,  the  men 
go  to  the  barns.  The  stools  should  be  of  galvanized  iron,  and 
sterilized  before  each  milking.  The  cloths  are  for  the  final 
damiDcning  of  the  udder  and  teats.  The  pails  used  should  be 
the  covered  pails  having  an  8-in.  or  6-in.  opening,  and  no 
strainer.  It  is  well  that  all  the  doors  from  the  barn  to  the  milk 
room,  when  such  a  room  at  the  barn  is  provided,  be  double- 
swing  doors,  without  knobs  or  handles,  and  the  man  on  going 
through  must  push  them  open  with  his  elbow,  and  not  with  his 
hands ;  the  hands  of  the  milker  must  touch  nothing  which  has 
not  been  rendered  sterile  from  the  time  he  commences  milk- 
ing imtil  he  has  finished. 

The  operation  of  milking  should  be  done  carefuUy,  quietly, 
and  gently,  without  jerking  or  yanking;  the  hands,  under  no 
circmnstances  to  be  wet.  The  first  stream  of  milk,  usually 
sent  into  the  gutter,  is  best  milked  into  a  cup.  The  place 
where  the  bacteria  will  fonn,  if  they  form  at  all,  is  at  the 
opening  of  the  milk  duct  and  the  first  few  streams  of  milk  must 
not  be  used.     If,  during  the  process  of  milking,  anything 


106         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

should  get  into  the  pail,  the  pail  and  milk  must  be  discarded  at 
once  and  a  new  one  substituted.  After  each  cow  has  been 
milked,  the  milker  goes  to  the  milk  room  at  the  barn,  or  where 
the  contents  of  his  pail  can  be  weighed,  the  record  is  entered, 
and  the  milk  poured  into  a  20-qt.  can  through  a  cheesecloth 
strainer ;  a  fresh  strainer  being  used  for  each  pail  of  milk  when 
the  maximum  of  care  is  taken,  but  certainly  a  fresh  strainer 
when  any  dirt  or  hair  shows  on  the  one  in  use.  Particles  of 
dirt  left  upon  the  strainer  are  simply  dissolved  by  the  pour- 
ing of  warm  milk  over  them.  If  the  milking  has  been  prop- 
erly done  the  strainer  should  show  no  contamination  even 
under  the  test  of  the  bacteriologist.  A  strainer  sufficiently 
contaminated  so  as  to  be  detected  by  the  naked  eye  must  be 
removed  at  once.  The  strainer  is,  therefore,  best  arranged  so 
as  to  be  easily  removed,  and  in  such  a  way  that  a  fresh  one 
may  be  substituted  without  inconvenience.  When  the  milker 
pours  the  milk  from  his  pail  into  the  20-qt.  can,  he  sets  the  pail 
on  a  galvanized  iron  rack  provided  for  that  purpose,  and  not 
on  the  floor.  He  then  proceeds  to  wash  his  hands  and  dry 
them  on  a  clean  towel ;  this  he  must  do  before  the  milking  of 
each  cow.  Ordinarily  a  5-f t.  roller  towel  will  do  for  all  milk- 
ers, but  it  must  be  fresh  at  each  milking.  The  same  pail  is 
used  by  the  milker  for  each  one  of  his  allotted  nimiber  of  cows, 
imless,  as  previously  stated,  a  fly  or  some  dirt — perhaps  caused 
by  a  kicking  cow — should  get  into  it,  when  the  paU  and  con- 
tents must  be  discarded.  It  might  be  interesting  to  know  that 
if  a  fly  were  submerged  for  a  few  minutes  in  a  cubic  centi- 
meter of  milk,  and  the  fluid  were  then  examined  imder  the 
microscope,  it  would  not  be  unusual  to  have  the  plate  record 
from  100,000  to  1,000,000  bacteria.  As  before  stated,  the  only 
way  to  keep  flies  out  of  the  building  is  to  keep  it  clean  and 


ADMINISTRATION"  107 

dark ;  the  blinds  closed,  except  at  milking  time,  and  even  then 
opened  only  wide  enough  to  afford  proper  light  for  milking. 
Nothing  attracts  the  flies  more  than  dirt,  so  that  all  utensils 
of  the  cow  bam  should  be  kept  clean  and  washed  every  day  as 
regularly  and  as  efficiently  as  the  dairy  utensils,  although  even 
so  they  should  never  be  kept  in  the  cow  barn. 

Everything  which  the  milk  touches  should  be  sterilized. 
Everything  which  the  milker  touches  from  the  time  he  dons 
his  milking-suit  until  he  has  finished  milking,  should  be  steril- 
ized. In  fact,  in  the  strictest  sense  the  production  of  certified 
milk  becomes  a  surgical  operation,  and  the  surgeon 's  antiseptic 
methods  must  be  employed  if  a  sterile  product  is  to  be 
obtained. 

MrLKixG  IMachin^es 

Although  the  purpose  of  this  work  is  to  go  into  those  things 
only  which  influence  the  construction  or  plan  of  the  buildings 
and  must,  therefore,  be  considered  at  its  inception,  yet  we  wiU 
touch  briefly  upon  the  milking  machine  and  the  vacuiun 
cleaner,  both  of  which  may  be  operated  readUy  by  the  same 
power. 

The  milking  machine  has  hardly  to  do  with  the  private  plant, 
and  it  is  pretty  well  established  that  a  good  milker  is  better 
than  a  good  milking  machine,  if  indeed  such  a  thing  as  the 
latter  has  yet  been  devised.  The  disadvantage  with  the  milk- 
ing machine  will  always  be  in  the  trouble  and  care  which  are 
necessary  to  keep  the  mechanism  clean,  and  the  possibilities 
of  its  becoming  dirty  without  being  easily  detected.  In  un- 
clean surroimdings  the  milking  machine  may  prove  an  ad- 
vantage, but  in  the  clean  barn  careful  methods  of  hand  milking 
are  the  best. 


108         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

In  some  of  the  strictly  commercial  herds  the  milking  ma- 
chine has  been  used  for  some  time  and  here,  where  the  diffi- 
culties of  finding  proper  help  are  considerable,  it  has  the  ad- 
vantage of  requiring  less  men  and,  when  expertly  used,  of  con- 
simiing  less  time  than  ordinary  methods.  At  present,  it  is  a 
thing  the  advantages  or  disadvantages  of  which  are  largely  a 
state  of  mind.  To  the  man  keen  for  all  mechanical  contriv- 
ances the  milking  machine  will  appeal,  and  through  his  careful 
and  painstaking  supervision  it  will  accomplish  satisfactory 
results,  but  it  will  not  accomplish  such  results  without  such 
suj)ei'vision. 

Vacuum  Cleaner 

The  vacuum  cleaner,  however,  when  perfected,  ought  to  be 
a  great  advantage,  as  its  principle  is  distinctly  the  right  one — 
that  of  sucking  in  and  conducting  away  the  dust  of  cleaning 
instead  of  stirring  it  up  and  depositing  over  many  things  the 
dust  that  has  accunmlated  on  a  few.  The  perfection  of  the 
vacuum  cleaner  is  dependent  only  wpon  a  proper  tool  for 
cleaning  the  animal  and  a  better  regulation  of  the  force  of  the 
vacuum.  Ordinarily  this  is  too  great  and  the  process  of  clean- 
ing by  a  vacuum  has  been  an  uncomfortable  one  for  the  cattle 
which  they  very  properly  resent.  It  will  probably  be  found 
that  some  cows  will  be  slow  to  accept  and  accustom  themselves 
to  it,  though  there  is  no  reason  why  the  young  stock  should  not 
be  trained  to  its  use. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  in  a  very  short  time,  the  vacuima 
cleaner  will  come  into  as  general  use  in  the  cow  barn  as  it  has 
elsewhere.  It  has  already  been  used  to  great  advantage  in  the 
commercial  horse  stable,  and  one  superintendent  of  such  an 
establishment,  enthusiastic  over  this  method  of  cleaning  his 


ADMINISTRATION  109 

animals,  told  the  author  that  upon  the  breaking  dow-n  of  the 
apparatus,  his  horses  were  obliged  to  do  without  their  vacuum 
bath  for  a  fortnight  and  that  as  a  consequence  the  difference 
in  their  condition  was  noticeable. 


Chapter  V 
OTHER  BUILDINGS  OF  THE  FAEM  GROUP 

THERE  now  remain  in  the  farm  barn  group  other  buildings 
still  to  be  considered  and  the  largest  of  these  is  the  hay- 
barn,  a  very  interesting  structure  for  the  architect,  as  it  is  the 
one  which  affords  him  the  greatest  scope  in  the  way  of  archi- 
tectural effect. 

The  Hay  Barn 

There  is  no  special  detail  important,  except  the  construc- 
tion which  allows  the  handling  of  the  hay  by  the  hay  fork  to 
be  done  in  the  simplest  possible  manner.  In  the  farmer's  barn 
the  framing  was  carried  out  with  post  and  tie;  this  method, 
while  satisfactory  structurally,  fills  the  entire  interior  of  the 
barn  with  beams  running  in  various  directions,  and  makes  the 
use  of  the  hay  fork  difficult  if  not  impossible.  To  overcome 
this  the  Western  builder  devised  a  framing  which  corresponds 
somewhat  to  a  scissors  truss,  standing  on  one  leg,  and  brings 
the  support  required  for  the  ridgepole  to  the  side  of  the  struc- 
ture and  then  directly  down  to  the  ground,  leaving  the  space 
from  the  floor  to  the  tie  just  below  the  ridge  entirely  unob- 
structed. The  old  and  the  new  way  of  framing  a  hay  barn 
may  be  very  clearly  contrasted  in  the  plates  facing  p.  111. 
Fig.  30  shows  a  detail  drawing  of  a  truss  suitable  for  hay  barns 
ranging  from  35  to  45  or  50  ft.  in  width ;  these  trusses  should 
be  placed  from  14  to  16  ft.  on  centers,  and  where  no  support- 

110 


THE   FAH.MKIi'.S   .\I  Kll  lOI)   Ol'    Fl!  AMIXC.    11 1  K    II A^'    liAKX 


IIAY    li\UX    KR AAITXG    AS   SHOWN    IN     IK.,    in 


OTHER   BUILDINGS 


111 


ing  building  comes  at  the  ends  of  the  hay  barn,  trusses  should 
be  carried  down  from  the  purlins  to  the  ground  to  stiffen  the 
ends  of  the  building,  as  other's^dse  the  hay  will  be  very  liable  to 
bulge  them.  Hay  bams  with  a  capacity  of  seventy-fire  tons 
or  over  are  more  easily  filled  with  the  hay  fork,  and  the  cus- 


WOTE-  TWO  ^4  BOLT5  WITH 
HEAVY  CA5T  IRON    WASHLR5  AT 
tVERY   INTERSECTION   Of   TRUSS 
OTHER    IRON   WORk^    AS  SHOWN 

ROOf    PITCH   q'-o'oN  li^O' 


RArrtns  between 

TRUSSES    Z'  ^  lO* 
2.4*  OC. 


CROSS    SLCTION  PART    LONGITUDI  N/\L     SECTION 

FIG.   30 — DETAIL   OP   FRAMING   FOR   HAY   BARN 


torn  is  to  drive  into  the  barn  at  the  center  of  the  long  side, 
unloading  the  hay  in  either  direction.  By  this  method  the  hay 
track  is  kept  within  the  building.  If,  as  occurs  in  some  in- 
stances, this  scheme  is  not  feasible,  it  is  quite  practicable  to 
fill  the  hay  barn  from  either  one  or  both  ends,  in  which  case 
the  hay  track  is  projected  through  the  end  of  the  building  some 


112         MODEEN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

1 

six  feet,  and  a  door  not  smaller  than  6  ft.  wide  and  8  ft.  high 
is  located  just  below  it.  The  best  way  to  arrange  this  door 
to  open  is  to  hang  it  on  counter  w^eights  and  slide  it  down  (plate 
facing  p.  76) .  Where  it  is  arranged  to  drive  into  the  hay  barn 
at  the  side,  it  is  an  advantage  to  drive  right  on  through ;  but  in 
some  locations,  as  on  a  hillside,  where  the  grade  will  not  per- 
mit this  readily,  the  second  door  may  be  omitted  and  the  hay 
wagons,  after  unloading,  back  out  empty. 

If,  being  on  level  ground,  the  situation  of  the  farm  buildings 
with  regard  to  the  hay  fields  is  such  that  the  hay  will  come 
from  both  sides  of  the  hay  barn,  then  both  hay  barn  doors 
should  be  of  adequate  size  to  admit  a  wagon  loaded  with  hay 
(12  ft.  wide,  14  ft.  high) .  If,  however,  all  loaded  hay  can  con- 
veniently enter  the  hay  barn  from  one  direction,  the  entrance 
door  must  not  be  less  than  14  ft.  high,  but  the  opposite  door 
can  be  as  low  as  8  ft.,  6  in.  or  9  ft.  in  height,  as  the  hay  wagon 
though  coming  in  loaded  will  go  out  empty.  It  is  frequently 
an  advantage  to  keep  the  door  opposite  the  entrance  door  low, 
as  it  is  sometimes  desii'able  to  use  one  side  of  the  hay  barn 
for  sheds,  store  rooms,  or  winter  box  stalls,  in  which  a  high 
door  could  not  be  conveniently  placed. 

In  larger  plans,  where  the  cows  are  in  a  wing  at  one  end 
of  the  hay  barn  and  the  horses  or  young  stock  are  in  a  wing 
at  the  other,  access  between  them  can  best  be  had  through 
the  hay  barn  under  a  covered  passage.  This  is  no  more  than 
a  rough  ceiling  supported  on  posts  seven  feet  above  the  hay 
barn  floor.  The  covered  passage  allows  the  hay  to  be  stored 
above  it  and  in  smaller  plans  the  top  of  the  covered  passage 
is  frequently  a  good  place  to  put  the  feed  bins. 

The  proper  ventilation  of  the  hay  barn  is  very  necessary; 
the  old  idea  of  putting  a  central  ventilator  on  the  roof  is  fas- 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  113 

cinating,  but  this  and  notliiug  else  in  a  large  barn  is  inade- 
quate. Additional  ventilation  should  be  placed  under  the 
eaves,  and  not  only  in  the  sides  but  at  the  ends  of  the  build- 
ing as  well.  All  louvers  should  have  galvanized  iron  nettings 
over  them  to  keej)  the  birds  out  and  batten  doors  to  close  them 
in  winter.  In  computing  the  capacity  of  the  hay  bam  it  is 
usual  to  aUow  for  each  animal  two  tons  of  hay  per  annum, 
and  for  every  ton  of  loose  hay  500  cu.  ft.  of  space. 

If  hay  is  bought,  it  is  best  purchased  in  bales.  Baled  hay 
takes  up  approximately  one-third  the  room  which  loose  hay 
does  (150  cu.  ft.  per  ton  for  baled  hay  as  compared  with  the 
500  cu.  ft.),  and  it  is  frequently  better  to  build  a  smaller  hay 
barn  and  pay  for  baling  the  hay,  even  when  hay  is  raised  on 
the  farm.  Hay  can  be  baled  at  the  farm  for  $1.15  a  ton.  Hay 
is  more  manageable  in  bales  and  it  has  the  immense  advantage 
of  greatly  reducing  the  fire  risk.  Baled  hay  will  not  burn, 
while  there  is  scarcely  anything  more  inflammable  than  hay  in 
bulk.  The  use  of  baled  hay  in  preference  to  loose  hay  is  a 
matter  which  has  not  received  the  attention  it  most  certainly 
deserves. 

To  procure  protection  for  the  cow  yard  and  for  the  entire 
group  of  buildings,  especially  those  containing  the  animals, 
the  hay  barn  is  most  advantageously  placed  at  the  north. 
The  natural  disposition  of  the  other  buildings,  as  the  various 
plans  will  clearly  show,  is  to  locate  them  to  the  south  of  the 
hay  barn,  the  cow  barn  at  one  end,  with  horse  stable,  sheds, 
etc.,  at  the  other.  This  strict  division  between  the  work  of 
the  herdsman  and  the  horseman  must  be  enforced  by  the 
architect  at  every  point,  for  the  work  of  the  one  should  go  on 
quite  apart  and  without  interference  from  the  work  of  the 
other. 


114         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

The  Farm  Stables 

The  faiTu  stables  should  include  a  general  wagon  room, 
where  the  better  class  of  vehicle  can  be  kept;  the  horse 
stable;  a  place  for  harness  either  in  the  stable  or  in  a  sep- 
arate harness  room;  and  for  the  farm  machinery  ample  ac- 
commodations in  the  way  of  sheds,  machinery  room  and  tool 
room. 

WAGON  ROOM. — The  wagon  room  is  an  enclosed  room 
for  an  express  wagon,  farmer's  buggy,  or  the  better  class  of 
vehicle  which  requires  more  protection  than  is  given  by  a 
shed.  It  is  well  to  have  a  chimney  in  this  room  so  that  a  stove 
may  be  set  up  in  the  winter.  This  is  the  only  room  in  the 
horse  department  of  the  farm  barn  which  need  be  heated.  It 
should  never  be  less  than  24  ft.  in  depth,  so  that  an  average 
length  vehicle  can  be  driven  in  and  unhitched  comfortably 
after  the  door  has  been  closed ;  30  ft.  in  length  is  a  minimum 
dimension.  In  larger  plans  a  depth  of  26  or  28  ft.  is  de- 
sirable. In  planning  for  a  number  of  vehicles  it  is  usual  to 
allow  7  ft.  for  the  width  of  each  wagon  and  11  ft.  for  length. 
In  close  placing  of  many  wagons  it  is  possible  to  get  the  aver- 
age width  down  to  6  ft.,  6  in.  per  vehicle,  and  with  a  reason- 
able number  of  smaller  traps  to  6  ft.  j^er  vehicle.  There 
should  always  be  a  place  for  the  washing  of  wagons  in  the 
w^agon  room,  preferably  opposite  the  entrance,  and  there  is 
nothing  equal  to  the  overhead  washer.  The  wagon  wash  can 
be  10  or  12  ft.  in  width  and  its  length  had  better  be  the  en- 
tire width  of  the  room.  Its  pitch  to  the  bell  trap  should  be 
at  least  I/4  in.  to  the  foot. 

HARNESS  ROOM.— In  the  simpler  class  of  stable  it  is 
quite  possible  to  hang  the  farm  harness  in  the  wagon  room, 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  115 

but  this  should  be  done  against  the  walls  and  not  in  cases.  A 
movable  harness  rack  may  be  used  to  advantage  and  is  always 
useful  for  cleaning  harness. 

Where  over  eight  or  ten  horses  are  provided  for,  a  sep- 
arate harness  room  is  better,  but  here  also  the  harness  should 
be  hung  against  the  wall  on  large,  heavy,  galvanized  iron 
hooks.  If  a  harness  room  is  included  it  is  preferable  to  have 
the  heat  in  here  rather  than  in  the  general  wagon  room.  Hot 
water,  especially  in  the  winter,  is  desirable  for  cleaning  the 
harness  and  is  frequently  necessary  for  the  proper  care  of  the 
animals. 

HORSE  STABLE.— In  the  horse  barn,  as  in  the  cow  barn, 
all  moldings  or  projections  of  any  kind  should  be  avoided. 
Horses  may  be  arranged  in  double  or  single  rows.  The  single 
row  of  stalls  is  very  much  better,  as  it  enables  one  side  of 
the  stable  to  be  thrown  open  to  the  sun  and  air.  The  great 
trouble  with  the  double  row  of  stalls  is  that  it  makes  a  dark 
stable  and  a  very  warm  one  in  summertime,  because  it  is  neces- 
sary to  keep  the  windows  in  front  of  the  horses  so  high  and 
so  small  that  little  light  or  ventilation  can  be  had  through 
them.  The  type  of  stabling  which  has  a  passage  in  front  of 
the  stalls,  though  requiring  a  larger  building,  is  an  excellent 
idea,  giving  more  ventilation  and  comfort  for  the  animal  than 
any  other  method.  It  keeps  the  horses  away  from  the  light 
which  frequently  blinds  them.  A  man  with  sensitive  eyes  can 
easily  imagine  the  effect  upon  them  were  he  tied  in  a  stall 
before  a  window  and  in  such  a  manner  that  he  could  not 
readily  look  away  from  it.  This  is  precisely  what  happens  to 
the  horse  in  the  average  stall.  The  windows  should,  there- 
fore, never  be  lower  than  6  ft.  6  in.  from  the  floor,  and  it  is 
frequently  desirable  to  paint  the  glass,  or  shade  it  by  over- 


116         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

hanging  eaves.  For  the  summer,  nothing  is  better  than  the 
blinds  put  in  in  the  same  manner  as  described  for  the  cow 
barn.  This  is  the  best  possible  method  of  keeping  out  the  sun 
and  letting  in  the  air. 

As  in  the  cow  stable,  the  manure  trolley  is  far  the  best 
way  to  get  the  manure  out  of  the  building,  and  this  manure 
trolley  can  be  connected  with  the  same  system  as  the  trolley 
for  the  cow  barn.  Various  plans,  which  follow,  will  make 
this  connection  clear.  The  ventilation  should  be  carried  out 
on  the  same  lines  as  indicated  for  the  cow  barn.  It  is  some- 
times difficult,  however,  to  bring  the  outlet  ventilating  ducts 
below  the  ceiling,  and  the  author  in  his  practice  has  generally 
been  content  with  taking  the  air  out  of  the  building  from  the 
ducts  which  stop  at  the  ceiling,  no  side  system  of  outlet  venti- 
lating being  built.  The  windows  (Fig.  31)  are  all  that  is  re- 
quired to  let  the  air  into  the  building,  and  these  should  be  of 
the  same  type  as  called  for  in  the  cow  barn,  falling  back  into 
cheeks,  with  grills.  Horses  need  less  warmth  in  winter  than 
cows,  and  it  is  a  good  thing  to  let  the  ceiling  of  the  horse  stable 
run  up  the  rafters,  raising  the  collar  beams,  and  giving  the 
horse  stable  a  cubage  or  volmne  of  from  1000  to  1500  cu.  ft.  of 
air  per  animal.  The  materials  best  used  for  the  horse  stable 
are  those  already  suggested  for  the  cow  barn.  Plastering  is 
always  to  be  preferred  to  wood  sheathing;  the  stable  floors 
should  be  made  of  concrete — never  of  wood;  the  stall  posts 
and  grills  of  iron.  Care  must  be  taken  to  have  the  floors  drain 
properly,  so  that  the  water  in  hosing  down  will  run  off  quickly 
into  the  gutters.  The  gutters  should  be  shallow  and  their 
corners  rounded,  exactly  the  reverse  of  the  cow  stall  gutter, 
and,  above  all,  open.  The  covered  gutter  is  hard  to  keep  clean 
and  consequently  is  generally  dirty.     The  open  gutter  is  the 


DOW-3  IN  HOD5t  5TALL5 


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FINISH    FLUSH 

METAL     LATHv.     ^'■^^    FRAME. 
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0     1      2     3    4    £    6 

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FIG.     31 — DETAIL     OF     "BUENETT"     WIXDOWS     FOR    HORSE 
STALLS 

[117] 


118         MODERN   FAEM   BUILDINGS 

only  type  to  use  for  tlie  farm  barn.  It  should  not  be  over  4 
in.  deep  at  the  bell  trap,  the  deepest  point,  and  a  pitch  of  Vs 
in.  to  the  foot  is  ample.  It  is  not  possible  to  pitch  any  open 
gutter  sufficiently  to  have  it  drain,  unless  it  is  free  from  ma- 
nure. The  passageway  back  of  the  stalls  is  best  marked  oif  in 
8-in.  squares,  which  prevent  the  horses  from  slipping  and  are 
not  as  hard  to  keep  clean  as  would  appear.  A  drinking- 
trough,  either  in  the  stable  or  near  it,  is  desirable. 

STALLS. — The  simplest  possible  stall  partition  is  shown  in 
the  facing  plate,  wliich  is  merely  a  pole.  This  type  of  stall  is 
very  generally  used  throughout  England,  but  it  seems  impossi- 
ble to  introduce  it  in  this  country.  It  is  the  best  solution  of  the 
stall  partition,  as  it  allows  the  stalls  to  be  made  up  easily  and 
permits  of  almost  unobstructed  air  circulation.  Where  the 
rigid  stall  division  is  put  in  there  is  nothing  to  equal  the  venti- 
lating type  of  stall  (Fig.  32)  which  has  the  partition  planks 
separated  by  iron  spools  so  that  the  air  can  pass  between  them. 
With  the  growing  interest  in  concrete,  stall  partitions  have 
been  made  solid  in  that  material;  while  they  look,  and  per- 
haps are,  sanitary,  they  shut  off  all  circulation  of  air  and  in 
the  summer  are  intolerable.  The  stalls  are  usually  9  ft.  in 
depth,  though  a  shallower  stall  of  7  ft.  answers  all  require- 
ments and  shows  more  of  the  horse.  Stalls  can  vary  from 
4  ft.  to  6  ft.  in  width,  5  ft.  being  the  average,  and  there  is  noth- 
ing in  the  superstition  that  a  horse  will  cast  himself  in  a  stall 
which  is  between  4  ft.  and  5  ft.  wide.  Where  a  few  horses  are 
to  be  provided  for,  there  is  no  stall  equal  to  the  one  6  ft.  in 
width.  In  this  the  horse  may  be  turned  around  and  led  out, 
which  prevents  him  from  kicking  out  the  bedding  as  he  does 
in  a  narrower  stall  from  which  he  has  to  be  backed  out.  A 
6-ft.  stall  is  also  wide  enough  to  allow  cleaning  or  harness- 


AN-  FXCll  I  1\T  TMM-.  dl    SilKD.     K  AltM    lU   ILDIKGS  FOR  F.  G.  BOURNE. 
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FIG     3"— DETAIL    OF    THE    "BURNETT"    STALL— THE    BEST    TYPE    OP    THE    RIGID 

STALL   PARTITION 

[119] 


120         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

ing  tlie  animal  in  it.  Where  many  stalls  are  required,  it  is 
usual  to  make  them  5  ft.  in  width;  the  6-ft.  stall  unduly  in- 
creasing the  length  of  stabling,  and  in  city  stables  the  stalls 
are  frequently  reduced  to  4  ft.,  6  in.  in  width,  but  on  the  farm 
acreage  the  horse  should  be  given  more  generous  accommoda- 
tions. 

A  stall  is  usually  provided  with  two  rings,  one  3  ft.,  6  in. 
above  the  floor,  the  other  5  ft.  above  the  floor ;  the  lower  ring 
being  used  for  tying  the  horse  at  night  so  that  he  can  lie 
do^vn,  the  upper  one  for  the  daytime.  There  are  other 
methods  of  tying,  one  by  means  of  a  rope  weighted  at  the  end, 
another  to  a  ring  on  a  vertical  traveler.  As  these  give  the 
horse  a  little  more  liberty,  of  which  some  animals  like  to  take 
advantage,  it  is  usually  as  well  to  arrange  such  details  to  suit 
the  man  who  is  going  to  attend  to  them. 

Hay  is  best  fed  upon  the  floor,  and  no  hay  rack  is  neces- 
sary; the  only  fixture  in  the  stall  being  the  manger,  and  the 
roll  rim  type  is  the  best.  The  fann  horse  usually  does  well 
on  a  concrete  floor,  but  where  there  is  a  prejudice  against 
it  the  wooden  slat  floor  with  an  iron  pan  below  is  the  best  type 
of  wood  floor.  The  pans  should  be  connected  with  the  water 
system  so  that  they  can  be  flushed  out;  such  stalls  do  have 
this  advantage  over  the  concrete — that  the  urine  drains  out 
of  them  more  quickly  and  the  bedding  is  drier  in  consequence. 

In  every  horse  stable  it  is  well  to  have  one  or  more  box  stalls ; 
not  less  than  8x12  ft.,  and  10x12  ft.  is  better.  Where  there 
are  ten  or  more  horses  it  is  a  good  idea  to  have  some  outdoor 
boxes  with  dirt  floors,  in  fact  all  box  stalls,  whether  inside  or 
outside,  are  better  with  dirt  floors.  No  drainage  in  these  is 
necessary,  except  that  the  earth  floor  will  have  to  be  renewed 
occasionally  according  to  the  use  of  the  stall.    The  ideal  lo- 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  121 

cation  for  the  outside  box  stall  is  toward  the  south,  and  all 
box  stalls  should  have  Dutch  doors  to  secure  as  much  venti- 
lation and  sunlight  as  possible,  and  in  single  rows  of  outdoor 
boxes,  Dutch  doors  on  both  sides  are  an  advantage, 

FEED  ROOM. — A  feed  room  for  the  horse  stable  is  de- 
sirable. In  small  stables  of  three  or  four  horses,  where  the 
hay  is  stored  in  the  second  story — though  not  over  the  ani- 
mals— it  is  feasible  to  throw  the  bedding  and  the  hay  on  the 
stable  floor.  It  is  better,  however,  to  have  this  come  down 
into  a  feed  room,  even  though  a  smaU  one,  as  it  keeps  the  dust 
from  the  hay  out  of  the  stable.  It  is  never  well  to  store  the 
hay  over  the  horses,  although  bedding  may  be  kept  here,  and 
a  little  patience  in  planning  will  generally  discover  some  place 
for  the  horse's  fodder  where  the  fumes  of  his  stable  will  not 
contaminate  it.  The  practice  of  storing  hay  above  and  throw- 
ing it  down  into  the  stable  through  the  ventilator  is  bad;  if 
hay  has  to  be  kept  over  the  horses  it  is  better  to  have  no  com- 
munication between  the  hay  loft  above  and  the  stable  below. 

SHEDS. — The  shed  is  the  place  for  the  storage  of  all  farm 
wagons,  carts,  extra  tongues,  shafts,  and  the  various  things, 
valueless  and  valuable,  which  accimiulate  in  the  practice  of 
agriculture,  and  in  any  farm  group,  no  matter  how  large,  there 
is  seldom  shed  room  enough.  A  farm  bam  with  too  much 
shed  room  has  never  been  designed.  The  shed  should  never 
be  less  than  24  ft.  deep ;  the  supports  for  the  roof  are  best  as 
few  and  as  far  apart  as  possible  (plate  facing  p.  118)  and  ordi- 
narily it  costs  but  little  more  to  construct  a  truss  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  roof  than  to  put  in  posts  in  the  usual  way.  Unob- 
structed shed  room  is  greatly  to  be  desired.  The  shed  need  not 
be  over  9  ft.  in  height,  in  fact  8  ft.  or  8  ft.,  6  in.  is  usually  all 
that  is  required  under  average  conditions.    It  is  frequently 


122         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

convenient  to  arrange  the  shed  on  sloping  ground,  where  a 
height  of  7  ft.  may  be  had  at  one  end  and  9  ft.  at  the  other.  It 
is  inexpensive  and  often  desirable  to  have  a  loft  over  the  shed 
for  general  storage.  This  is  always  a  dry  place  and  also  an  ac- 
cessible one.  The  hay  barn  can  be  made  high  enough  to  store 
the  hay  in  a  second  story,  leaving  the  space  below  for  shed 
room,  and  in  small  farm  grouj^s  this  is  an  economical  way  of 
obtaining  such  space.  This  combination  of  hay  barn  and  shed 
is  especially  adaptable  to  a  sloping  site,  where  the  basement 
of  the  hay  barn  is  put  in  the  bank  and  used  for  the  sheds, 
the  hay  going  in  above  from  the  higher  level.  This  idea  is 
carried  out  in  the  plans  shoA\Ti  of  the  farm  barns  at  Oyster 
Bay  and  Westbuiy,  L.  I.  In  fact  the  shed  provides  excellent 
material  for  the  architect,  enabling  him  to  spread  his  build- 
ings out  upon  the  groimd  and  giving  to  them  the  long,  low, 
sheltering  lines  which  are  always  effective. 

MACHINERY  ROOM  AND  TOOL  ROOM.— In  connec- 
tion with  the  shed  and  generally  at  one  end  of  it,  a  convenient 
place  is  found  for  the  storage  of  all  the  farm  machinery.  The 
mowing  machine,  rakes,  tedders,  etc.,  are  used  only  for  a 
short  time  during  the  summer,  and  when  not  in  use  are  best 
kept  under  cover  in  an  enclosed  room,  for  the  shed  does  not 
give  them  sufficient  protection.  The  doors  should  be  8  ft.  high 
and  not  less  than  8  ft.  wide,  and  for  convenience  in  taking  ma- 
chinery out  they  are  best  as  numerous  as  possible.  The  slid- 
ing door  is  the  better  type,  but  if  the  swing  door  is  used  it 
must  swing  out. 

A  concrete  floor  is  desirable,  though  in  a  very  sandy,  dry 
location  this  may  be  omitted.  Where  superlative  convenience 
is  desired,  a  concrete  floor  can  be  put  in  the  shed  itself,  though 
this  is  not  at  all  usual  and  is  almost  the  height  of  luxury.    It 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  123 

is  a  very  decided  aid,  however,  in  keeping  the  shed  sightly. 

One  more  room  is  desirable  and  that  is  a  room  for  the  stor- 
age of  tools:  hoes,  rakes,  spades,  shovels,  etc.,  and  is  called 
a  tool  room.  This  may  be  a  small  room,  but  is  convenient  for 
general  use,  and  in  large  establishments  a  general  supply  room 
is  also  necessary,  where  supplies  are  kept  for  distribution  un- 
der the  control  of  the  sviperintendent.  The  tool  room  needs 
a  concrete  floor,  some  shelves — best  made  of  slate — and  for  the 
shovels,  rakes  and  hoes,  plenty  of  pegs. 

LEADERS. — It  is  very  important  that  all  the  roofs  of  the 
farm  group  have  the  water  conducted  from  them  by  gutters 
and  leaders,  and  that  it  be  not  allowed  to  drop  from  the  roof 
onto  the  ground.  For  this  would  wash  out  the  yards  and 
cause  the  earth  around  the  buildings  to  be  wet,  when  it  is 
especially  necessary  to  have  it  dry  at  aU  times.  The  leader 
drains  may  be  led  into  broken  stone  pits  or,  where  the  grade 
permits,  on  to  the  ground,  but  always  at  a  distance  from  the 
buildings.  They  should  never  be  connected  with  the  sewer 
system,  nor  with  any  drain  lines  from  bell  traps,  as  previously 
advised.  In  aU  yards  the  leaders  are  connected  into  cast  iron 
pipe,  extending  4  ft.  above  the  ground  and  securely  fastened 
to  the  building,  as  otherwise  they  are  soon  destroyed  below 
this  point  by  the  cattle  rubbing  against  them.  In  long  sheds, 
where  the  supporting  posts  are  usually  some  distance  back 
from  the  eaves,  it  is  unsatisfactory  to  carry  the  water  from 
the  gutters  by  running  the  leaders  back  and  down  the  posts, 
such  leaders  in  time  invariably  becoming  injured  or  broken. 
These  may  be  entirely  done  away  with  by  crowning  the  eaves 
of  the  roof  slightly  in  the  center  so  that  no  leaders  will  be  re- 
quired except  at  the  ends. 

HARDWARE.— The  most  difficult  and  trying  of  all  the 


124 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


furnishings  of  the  farm  barn,  in  the  author's  experience  at 
least,  has  been  to  find  proper  hardware.  Very  little  of  the 
stock  hardware  is  practicable,  and  all  hinges,  bolts  and  locks 
must  be  of  wrought  metal  and  heavily  made.  The  ordinary 
mortise  locks  for  the  large  sliding  doors  are  absolutely  use- 
less, as  is  all  cast  iron  hardware,  for  it  is  invariably  broken 
by  rough  usage.     Swing  doors,  either  single  or  in  pairs,  are 


fMdiinKfifi  1 


111  lllllill 


FIG.    33— "RELIABLE" 
DOOR  HANGER 


FIG.  34 — FLUSH  RING  AND  LOCK 


best  opened  with  the  old-fashioned  thumb  latch.  This  is  a 
very  satisfactory  fixture.  All  sliding  doors  are  best  arranged 
to  fasten  by  a  hook  on  the  inside,  and,  if  necessary  to  lock 
the  door  so  that  it  can  be  opened  from  the  outside,  the  only 
fastening  is  the  padlock  and  hasp.  The  sliding  door  must 
have  a  roller  on  the  inside  at  the  striking  jamb,  and  one  on 
the  outside  at  the  opposite  jamb,  to  work  properly.  See  Fig. 
20.  A  very  good  fixture  is  the  Schouler  door  guide  and 
weather  strip,  which  is  weatherproof  and  keeps  the  door 
straight  and  in  position  but  it  must  be  drained  at  the  bottom 
or  it  is  liable  to  freeze  fast  in  winter. 


OTHEEBUILDINGS  125 

The  best  way  to  lock  up  a  barn  is  by  an  outside  swing  door, 
which  must  be  properly  located  and  not  necessary  for  the 
animals'  use.  This  door  locks  in  the  ordinary  manner,  either 
with  a  Yale  or  mortise  lock.  All  the  sliding  doors  can  then 
be  fastened  from  the  inside  with  hooks,  and  need  not  be  opened 
from  the  outside.  The  so-called  "Reliable"  hanger  (Fig.  33), 
is  the  cheapest  as  it  is  the  most  sanitary  hanger  for  stable 
work.  Flush  handles,  are  always  necessary  on  hoth  sides  of 
a  sliding  door,  whether  the  door  is  locked  by  a  hasp  on  the  out- 
side or  by  a  hook  on  the  inside.  These  flush  handles  should 
always  be  provided  to  prevent  opening  the  door  with  the  hook 
or  the  hasp,  for  the  continued  opening  of  the  door  by  either 
is  hard  to  accomplish,  and  the  strain  breaks  them  in  time. 
The  Dutch  doors  should  have  hardware  which  will  enable  them 
to  hook  back  flat  against  the  outside  wall,  and  the  combination 
strap  hinge  with  a  movable  butt  is  the  best  tyjDe  of  hinge  for 
all  swing  doors.  The  only  stock  fixture  which  is  useful  is 
the  flush  ring  and  lock  (Fig.  34),  for  fastening  a  swing  stall 
door  from  the  inside.  For  the  Dutch  door  this  should  be 
placed  on  the  lower  half.  If  it  is  necessary  to  open  the  door 
from  the  outside  a  double  cup  can  be  had,  though  this  will  not 
lock  the  door;  to  do  this  a  padlock  and  hasp  are  necessary. 
For  second-story  feed  room  doors,  hay  doors  and  the  like,  there 
is  nothing  equal  to  the  old-fashioned  swivel  bar,  hung  in  the 
center  and  falling  into  iron  straps  at  each  side,  and  when  this 
is  used  the  doors  open  in. 

Fig.  35  shows  the  hardware  necessary  for  the  fastening  of 
the  windows  in  the  cow  barn,  or  in  all  buildings  where  the  ani- 
mals are  housed.  The  windows  not  in  the  animals'  quarters 
usually  drop  back  on  a  chain  with  a  hook  on  the  end.  This  al- 
lows the  sash  to  be  easily  removed  by  unhooking  the  chain 


126 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


from  the  eye  on  the  sash.     These  chains  must  be  unusually 
strong,  as  the  windows  are  heavy  and  a  gale  of  wind  will  fre- 


FIG.  35— WINDOW  CHEEKS  AND  SASH  PASTENEB 

quently  blow  them  open  and  break  the  chain.  Sash  chain  is 
of  no  use  for  this,  and  a  chain  the  weight  of  the  ordinary  steel 
dog  chain  or  halter  chain  is  necessary. 


Chapter  VI 
PLANS  OF  FAEM  BARNS 

THE  views  which  have  been  expressed  in  the  foregoing 
chapters  concerning  the  practical  requirements  of  the 
farm  barn,  can  probably  best  be  illustrated  by  a  brief  discus- 
sion of  the  plans  of  buildings  designed  with  those  views  in 
mind.  The  plans  given  are  selected  from  many  buildings  built 
during  a  period  of  some  ten  or  twelve  years,  but  all  will  be 
foxmd  to  be  governed  by  the  suggestions  presented,  though 
some  to  a  greater  degree  than  others.  In  one  or  two  instances, 
where  plans  have  failed  in  some  particular,  these  have  been 
given  if  by  such  illustration  a  point  can  be  made  clearer. 

Farm  Barns  at  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  N.  Y. — Fig.  36 

We  will  commence  with  an  example  which  shows  the  plan 
of  an  extended  group  of  buildings  in  an  ideal  location  on  the 
crest  of  a  hill  sloping  to  the  south,  with  woods  to  the  north, 
east  and  west.  The  setting  is  one  offering  unusual  artistic 
possibilities,  and  to  preserve  these  it  was  decided  that  the  ap- 
proach should  be  by  an  old  lane  which  should  go  through  the 
group,  affording  service  at  the  rear  and  thus  avoid  cutting 
up  with  roads  the  attractive  sweep  of  land  that  leads  up  to  the 
buildings.  This  complicated  the  plan  somewhat  but  an  en- 
tirely practical  result  was  obtained. 

On  the  right  of  the  lane  was  arranged  the  superintendent 's 
house,  with  rooms  for  the  suiierintendent  on  the  fu'st  floor  and 

127 


[128] 


GENKHAl.    \1K\\     Ol-     IHK    1I1-1AN'>     lU  11,1)1NC.>,    U  H IL  H    SL'FIKH 
GREATLY   FROM    LACK    OF    PLANTING 


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FARM  BUILDINGS  FOR  LOUIS  C.  TIFFANY,  ESQ.,  OYSTER  BAY,  L.  I. 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BARNS      129 

for  the  men  above.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  men  have  their 
separate  entrance,  and  access  to  their  quarters  does  not  entail 
any  loss  of  privacy  in  the  home  of  the  superintendent.  A 
porch  where  the  men  can  sit  is  provided  under  the  pergola 
above  the  archway  over  the  road.  An  octagonal  tower  was 
incorporated  in  the  scheme  to  serve  for  a  water  tank  and  also 
for  pigeons.  The  great  desirability  of  entering  all  the  build- 
ings from  the  back  made  it  necessary  to  drive  between  the 
horses'  feed  room  and  the  horse  stable.  The  manure  track 
which  goes  across  this  passageway  was  devised  so  that  it  could 
be  raised  if  necessary.  The  manure  from  the  horses  and  the 
cows  is  conducted  to  the  same  general  disposal  place  to  the 
rear  of  the  hay  bam. 

To  gain  additional  height,  so  that  the  hay  barn  would  dom- 
inate the  group,  the  storage  space  for  hay  was  raised  to  the 
second  story,  and  shed  room  was  obtained  underneath;  this 
is  a  very  useful  method  of  putting  the  hay  over  the  shed,  for 
it  keeps  the  hay  dry,  makes  a  roomy  shed,  and  is  economical 
of  space — always  desirable  where  the  buildings  are  cramped 
for  room.  To  the  left  of  the  shed  and  between  the  young 
stock  barn  and  milking  cows,  is  located  a  root  cellar,  the  floor 
of  which  is  level  with  the  ground.  The  outside  walls  were 
formed  of  three  walls  of  4-in.  hollow  building  tile,  laid  4  in. 
apart,  the  4-in.  spaces  between  the  outside  walls  and  the  center 
wall  being  filled  with  sawdust.  The  roots  have  kept  perfectly 
here,  and  there  is  an  advantage  in  having  the  root  cellar  above 
ground,  as  it  avoids  the  labor  of  bringing  the  roots  from  a 
lower  level.  The  milk  is  brought  across  an  open  passage  from 
the  cow  barn  into  a  milk  receiving  room,  in  covered  20-qt,  cans, 
where  it  can  be  poured  either  directly  over  the  cooler  in  the 
milk  room  or  into  the  separator  in  the  wash  room.    The  en- 


130         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

trance  to  the  dairy  is  from  the  north,  and  convenient  to  this 
entrance  is  located  a  refrigerating  machine,  which  makes  ice 
for  general  ase,  as  well  as  providing  cold  storage  for  dairy 
purposes.  The  wash  room  and  drying-room  for  the  men  have 
been  planned  as  suggested  in  the  chapter  on  the  dairy,  and  the 
sterilizer  between  the  wash  room  and  milk  room,  as  well  as  the 
various  fixtures  for  each  room,  follow  out  the  usual  methods 
already  described. 

In  these  buildings  was  incorporated  a  sheepfold,  as  the 
owner  wanted  to  enhance  by  a  flock  of  sheep  the  effect  of  a 
picturesque  la^vn  which  slopes  from  the  house  down  to  the 
water  of  Long  Island  Sound.  Their  quarters  have  been 
placed  as  far  as  possible  from  the  buildings,  as  sheep,  being 
timid  creatures,  do  better  by  themselves.  When  sheep  are  to 
be  raised  in  large  numbers  it  is  well  not  to  include  the  sheep- 
fold  in  the  general  farm  bam  plan. 

The  design  of  the  buildings  was  carried  out  to  meet  the  own- 
er's very  decided  \'iews  as  to  architectural  lines,  and  it  was 
the  intention  to  grow  vines  over  the  waUs  and  to  contrast  with 
the  long  level  top  lines  varying  masses  of  planting  at  their 
base.  Though  the  buildings  have  been  built  for  three  or  four 
years,  none  of  the  planting  has  been  done,  which  proves  in  this 
instance  what  has  been  established  in  many  others,  that  the 
planting  should  be  taken  up  as  carefully  and  methodically  as 
the  planning  of  the  building. 

Fae^i  Bakxs  at  Rhixebeck,  X.  Y. — Fig.  37 

In  this  plan  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  milking  cows  are  be- 
tween the  young  stock  and  the  feed  room,  an  arrangement  that 
did  not  work  out  satisfactorily.  Another  error  on  the  prac- 
tical side  is  having  the  horse  manure  tracked  through  the 


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132         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

cow  barn;  this  was  changed  later  by  taking  the  manure  out 
at  the  north,  which  overcame  this  objection,  but  it  can  be 
easily  seen  from  this  plan  how  undesirable  it  is  to  have  to 
go  through  the  cow  barn  to  get  to  the  young  stock  barn.  The 
young  stock  quarters  were  located  to  get  the  benefit  of  the 
southern  exposure,  and  also  in  order  that  they  might  be  heated 
economically  from  the  dairy.  While  these  two  considerations 
are  an  advantage  to  the  young  stock  barn,  and  seemed  suffi- 
cient reason  at  the  time  for  carrying  out  the  plan  as  shown, 
yet  they  do  not  offset  the  disadvantage  of  having  to  go  through 
the  milking  cow  barn  to  feed  and  clean  up  in  the  young  stock 
barn. 

The  dairy,  completely  surrounded  by  fresh  air,  connects  con- 
veniently with  the  cow  barn  on  the  one  side  and  the  farmer's 
cottage  on  the  other.  The  plan  of  putting  the  dairy  so  near 
the  farmer's  cottage  is  objected  to  by  some  who  have  decided 
notions  on  sanitary  milk  production.  They  argue  that  any 
contagious  disease  contracted  by  an  inmate  of  the  house  brings 
this  contagion  entirely  too  near  the  source  of  the  milk  supply. 
This  is  good  theory  and  good  practice  for  large  commercial 
plants,  where  the  strictest  supervision  against  disease  is  neces- 
sary and  where  the  help  is  greater  in  numbers  and  scattering 
and  transient  in  character,  but  for  the  private  estate  there  is  a 
great  advantage  in  having  the  dairjinan  live  near  his  work. 

The  courtyard,  formed  by  the  open  sheds,  machinery  room 
and  wagon  room,  makes  a  complete  enclosure,  useful  in  itself 
and  always  interesting  architecturally. 

Far:m  Barns  at  Scaksboro,  N.  Y. — Fig.  38 

Here  almost  the  same  general  conditions  prevail.  The  re- 
quirements of  the  owner  demanded  storage  room  for  hay,  a 


DAIHV.MAX'S    COTTAGE— R  KM  ill.    liodl      I.IM.>    Ami 

PLANTING 


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A  BEAUTIFUL  ENVIROX.MENT  FOR  THE  FARM  GROUP.     F.VRM  BUILD- 
INGS FOR  JAMES  SPEYER,  ESQ.,  SCARBORO,  N.  Y. 


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[133] 


134         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

few  farm  horses,  wagons,  quarters  for  the  men,  cow  barn, 
sheep  cote,  a  small  dairy  and  quarters  for  the  dairyman. 
These  buildings  have  been  carried  out  in  the  so-called  half- 
timber  style,  in  order  to  hannonize  with  the  residence,  built 
in  that  manner,  but  the  vertical  timber  work  has  been  spar- 
ingly used,  and  plain  stucco  walls  were  left  to  form  a  back- 
ground for  the  planting  relied  on  to  give  the  principal  artistic 
effect;  this  has  thrived  so  well  as  to  fiilly  justify  all  expecta- 
tions. There  is  nothing  which  enhances  the  effect  of  any 
building  as  proper  landscape  treatment,  and  this  is  especially 
so  with  the  farm  barn,  whose  many  angles  and  corners  afford 
effective  and  protected  places  for  vines  and  shrubs,  and  whose 
growth  in  a  few  years  will  many  times  repay,  in  pleasure,  their 
initial  cost. 

This  plan  was  designed  before  the  manure  trolley  came  into 
general  use  and,  consequently,  was  not  so  devised  as  to  enable 
this  mode  of  cleaning  the  stable  to  be  properly  installed.  The 
scheme  is  a  small  one,  so  far  as  actual  requirements  go,  and 
under  such  conditions  the  scientific  methods  of  making  certi- 
fied milk  can  be  less  rigidly  carried  out.  The  calf  pens  here 
are  shown  in  the  milking  barn,  as  they  appear  also  in  some 
other  plans  for  the  smaller  establishment,  but  when  these 
were  designed  it  was  the  practice  to  put  the  young  stock  in 
the  milking  barn  so  that  in  winter  they  might  receive  the 
warmth  of  the  other  animals.  For  the  large  plants  especially, 
but  for  smaller  ones  as  well,  this  is  distinctly  bad  practice,  as 
the  dust  from  the  calf  pens  is  considerable  and  should  be  kept 
out  of  the  milking  stable. 

The  buildmgs  we  are  describing  have  a  delightful  situation 
on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  beneath  large  trees,  and  every 
effort  was  made  to  have  them  attractive  and  interesting  from 


DRINKING-TROUGH  IN  THE  COW  YARD 


.v^ 


THE    PERGOLA    FROM    THE    SOUTH.       FARM    BUILDINGS    FOR    JAMES 
SPEYER,  ESQ.,  SC.\RBORO,  N.  Y. 


PLAN'S   OF   FARM   BARNS  135 

every  viewpoint.  The  pergola  across  the  south,  and  enclosing 
that  end  of  the  cow  yard,  is  an  effective  piece  of  landscape 
work  which  nature  makes  more  beautiful  each  year,  as  the 
clematis  and  wistaria  grow  more  and  more  luxuriant  in  leaf 
and  flower.  The  covered  passage,  connecting  the  farmer's  cot- 
tage to  the  cow  barn  with  its  white  columns,  gives  a  touch 
of  lightness  to  the  whole  composition,  besides  being  entirely 
useful  in  connecting  the  farmer's  home  with  his  place  of  work. 
The  dairy  comes  on  the  other  side  of  an  open  porch,  and  con- 
sists of  two  rooms — the  wash  room  with  its  red  tile  floor,  and 
the  dairy  room  tiled  throughout  in  white — with  the  refrigera- 
tor between;  this  being  filled  from  the  open  porch.  Adjoin- 
ing the  milk  room  is  a  tea  room,  the  principal  entrance  of 
which  is  from  the  outside,  and  it  has  been  attractively  fur- 
nished. The  frieze  and  ceiling  are  made  up  of  old  Dutch 
paintings  of  the  farm  animals — chickens,  pigs,  horses,  cows, 
guinea-hens,  and  while  this  arrangement  is  by  no  means  scien- 
tific and  might  excite  the  ridicule  of  a  bacteriologist  who  has 
specialized  on  milk,  yet  this  whole  group  of  buildings  is  a 
distinct  feature  of  the  beautiful  estate  to  which  it  belongs  and 
it  affords  comfortable  and  practical  housing  for  the  sheep,  the 
horses,  the  cows,  and  the  men  who  tend  them. 

Farm  Baens  at  Westbuey,  L.  I.,  N.  Y. — Fig.  39 

These  plans  again  show  a  similar  problem,  though  a  differ- 
ent solution ;  the  requirements  demanding  accommodations  for 
eight  cows,  with  two  calf  pens,  seven  farm  horses,  and  four 
box  stalls  for  riding-horses,  together  with  a  tool  room,  ma- 
chinery room  and  a  dairy,  with  the  quarters  for  the  daii*}anan 
above.  It  must  be  observed  that  wherever  the  dairyman's 
quarters  are  placed  in  the  dairy  building  they  are  so  arranged 


[136] 


BUILDINGS    IN    STUCCO    WITH    SHINGLE    ROOFS.       SOME    DECIDUOUS 
SHRUBS  WOULD  IMPROVE  THE  PLANTING 


FARM    BUILDIXC.S    1(IK    (11  Mil, IS   SIKELE,   ESQ.,   WESTBURY,   L.   I. 


PLAN'S   OF   FARM  BARNS  137 

that  separate  access  is  had  to  them,  and  in  no  instance  is  it 
necessary  for  the  dairyman  to  go  through  or  even  near  the 
dairy  rooms  to  get  to  his  home.  Nothing  is  more  undesirable 
than  to  have  the  dairyman  care  for  the  milk  and  its  utensils 
in  his  kitchen,  which  is  a  custom  not  unusual  with  the  farmer. 
No  matter  how  small  the  problem,  a  separate  place  for  milk 
and  milk  things  is  absolutely  necessary. 

In  this  plan  it  will  be  noted  that  the  manure  trolley  from 
the  cow  barn  runs  on  the  outside  of  the  building  under  pro- 
jecting and  protecting  eaves,  and  is  there  conducted  into  the 
same  manure  pit  that  answers  for  the  horse  stable.  The 
conditions  of  this  estate  seemed  to  demand  the  construction 
of  a  manure  pit  near  the  farm  bam,  where  the  manure  from 
the  coach  stable,  not  included  in  this  plan,  is  also  deposited. 
As  a  general  rule  it  is  bad  practice  to  put  a  permanent  manure 
pit  near  enough  to  the  buildings  to  trolley  to  it.  It  makes  a 
breeding  place  for  flies  and  is  a  thing  that  has  no  place  near 
the  farm  buildings. 

The  hay  barn  is  here  elevated,  with  the  sheds  below,  an 
arrangement  of  hay  storage  and  shed  room  seen  in  Figs.  36 
and  46.  In  this  problem,  however,  the  difference  in  the  grade 
was  such  that  the  hay  barn  was  placed  in  the  bank  and  filled 
from  the  higher  level,  the  sheds  and  the  other  buildings  being 
entered  and  used  from  a  lower  level.  The  owner  wanted  to 
incorporate  his  chickens  in  the  farm  barn  group,  and  they 
have  been  located  near  the  machinery  room  with  runs  to  the 
south.  A  woodshed,  running  to  the  north,  completes  the  en- 
closure of  a  yard  intended  for  a  general  rubbish  yard.  On 
every  country  place,  and  especially  on  an  estate  of  this  char- 
acter, it  is  necessary  to  have  some  sort  of  enclosure  for  rub- 
bish, packing-boxes,  leaves,  barrels,  and  the  multitude  of 


138         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

things  which  accumulate  and  belong  to  those  vague  incum- 
brances that  ought  to  be  thrown  away  or  destroyed  but  never 
are,  being  saved  in  the  hope  that  at  some  future  time  they  may 
prove  useful.  The  yard  here  shown  was  designed  to  provide 
a  place  for  such  things,  and  it  is  not  only  screened  from  the 
rest  of  the  estate  but  from  the  farm  barns  as  well. 

Faem  Bakns  at  Greenwich,  Conn. — Fig.  40 

These  buildings  are  built  on  a  site  sloping  to  the  west,  where 
field  stone  was  convenient  and  plentiful,  and  it  was  decided  to 
use  some  stonework  in  the  buildings  but  to  make  the  main  con- 
struction of  wood  and  to  cover  this  with  split  or  rived  cypress 
shingles.  This  combination  is  always  a  suitable  one,  as  the 
surface  of  the  shingle  is  secured  by  cleaving  it  from  the  log  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  stone  is  plugged  and  feathered  from 
the  boulder.  In  addition  to  the  cow  barn  and  dairy,  the  plan 
provides  four  standing-stalls  for  farm  horses  and  four  large 
box  stalls  for  riding-horses,  with  Dutch  doors  opening  into  the 
paddock,  to  the  south.  To  simplify  the  plan  a  separate  wing 
was  not  given  to  the  riding-horses,  but  these  have  been  in- 
cluded in  the  farm  stable.  Above  the  carriage  room  are  the 
quarters  for  the  men,  who  have  a  second-story  porch — an  in- 
teresting feature  in  the  design  of  the  building  and  a  thought- 
ful addition  to  the  comfort  of  the  quarters  for  the  farm  hands. 
Access  to  the  men's  room  is  had  directly  from  the  carriage 
room,  or  from  an  outside  carriage  wash  through  the  octagonal 
stone  tower.  An  outside  carriage  wash  is  a  great  advantage 
in  the  summer  months,  for  on  hot  days  it  is  much  cooler  to 
wash  the  carriages  here  than  in  the  buildings,  especially  where 
the  back  wall  of  the  carriage  room  is  a  closed  one,  as  it  is  in 
this  instance. 


INTERESTING  tlKOLIMXG  AND  GOOD  ROOF  LINES.  RIVED  SHINGLES 
FOR  WALLS.  WITH  PORTION  OF  BLULDINGS  OF  FIELD  STONE.  THIS 
PHOTOGRAPH    WAS   TAKEN   BEFORE    THE    PLANTING   WAS    STARTED 


FARM  BUILDINGS  FOR  H.  F.  FISHER,  ESQ.,  GREENWICH,  CONN. 


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[13'JJ 


140         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

In  this  plan  the  young  stock  are  separated  from  the  cows. 
The  conditions  of  the  site  were  such  that  it  seemed  impracti- 
cable to  trolley  the  horse  manure  and  the  cow  manure  to  the 
same  place.  The  grade  is  low  at  the  back  of  the  buildings, 
so  that  the  manure  trolley  from  the  cow  and  horse  bam  was 
run  directly  through  the  end  of  the  building  and  emptied  into 
carts  below.  This  kept  the  horse  manure  and  cow  manure 
separate,  which  is  sometimes  preferred.  Underneath  the  hay 
barn  is  a  large  cellar  or  shed  entered  from  the  rear  at  a  lower 
level. 

The  dairy  is  separated  from  the  cow  bam  in  the  usual  man- 
ner, and  the  entrance  to  the  cow  barn  and  dairy  is  through  the 
small  porch  from  the  roadway.  It  will  be  observed  that  the 
dairy  has  been  pushed  to  one  side,  so  that  access  to  the  cow 
barn  is  jjasi  it  and  not  through  it.  A  garage  is  incorporated  in 
the  scheme,  and  an  additional  yard  for  the  bull  is  formed  be- 
tween the  cow  barn,  dairy  and  garage. 

Faem  Barns  at  Sterlingtox,  N.  Y. — Fig.  41 

These  buildings  are  built  of  reenforced  concrete  throughout, 
and  are  as  fireproof  and  sanitary  as  it  is  possible  to  make  them. 
Here  again  the  dairyman  lives  over  his  dairy,  but  both  his 
quarters  and  the  dairy  are  separated  from  the  farm  build- 
ings by  open  air.  Fig.  41  gives  the  plan  of  the  main  and  orig- 
inal building  at  the  lower  level,  providing  for  ten  milking 
cows,  three  calf  pens,  bull  pen,  feed  room,  root  cellar  and 
the  usual  rooms  for  the  dairy,  including  a  milk  receiving  room, 
connected  to  the  cow  barn  by  a  covered  passage.  The  require- 
ments of  this  group  increased,  so  that  eventually  a  young  stock 
stable  was  built  to  the  north,  and  a  silo  added,  the  same  track 
being  utilized  for  the  manure  and  the  ensilage.    A  separate 


Dtf?K5NAMX. 


THE   LARGE   POSTS   WIIH    l;\l   ll.KS   ABOVE   Sl'PPORT   THl,    M\MRE 

TROLLEY 


SHELTER  AT  NORTH  END  OF  COW   YARD.     FARM    lUU. DINGS   FOR 
FRANXIS  LYNDE  STETSON,  ESQ.,  STERLINGTON,  N.  Y. 


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[141] 


142         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

cow  yard  was  continued  to  the  north,  which  is  well  protected 
by  a  high  stone  wall  to  the  northwest  and  woods  and  trees  to 
the  northeast,  but  to  increase  the  natural  shelter  at  the  north, 
a  shed  was  erected.  This  separation  of  the  cow  yard  from 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  milking  barn  is  greatly  to  be  de- 
sired, as  has  been  set  forth  in  a  previous  paragraph.  Noth- 
ing could  be  more  convenient  or  more  desirable  than  the  lo- 
cation of  the  yard  here  shown,  and  such  a  disposition  of  the 
exercising  place  for  the  cattle  must  be  had  if  ideal  conditions 
at  the  milking  barn  are  to  be  obtained.  The  bull  has  his  sep- 
arate yard  beyond,  with  an  exerciser  and  a  shed  for  inclement 
weather. 

The  milk  is  taken  from  the  cow  barn  into  the  milk  receiving 
room  where,  from  a  raised  platform,  it  is  nm  over  either  the 
separator  or  the  cooler ;  the  milk,  going  in  from  a  higher  level, 
is  conducted  to  either  by  gravity.  This  platform  is  also  util- 
ized for  the  ice-water  tank  which  furnishes  the  cold  water  for 
the  cooler.  When  the  milk  is  poured  over  the  cooler  from 
a  similar  outside  milk  receiving  room,  there  should  be  a  glazed 
opening  in  the  partition  so  that  the  man  on  the  outside  can 
see  that  the  apparatus  within  is  ready  to  receive  the  milk.  A 
ship's  porthole  is  heavily  glazed  and  does  well  for  this  purpose. 
In  this  dairy  the  high-pressure  sterilizer  was  installed,  a 
laundry  and  drying-closet,  and  everything  done  to  make  the 
buildings  as  sanitary,  fireproof,  and  as  nearly  perfect  as  pos- 
sible. 

When  it  became  necessary  to  increase  the  quarters  for  the 
young  stock  and  dry  stock  and  to  give  up  the  cow  bam  to 
milking  cows  exclusively,  it  was  decided  to  build  the  yoimg 
stock  stable  completely  away  from  the  old  building,  and  the 
young  stock  barn  was,  therefore,  given  its  present  location.    It 


PLANS  OF  FAEM  BARNS      143 

is  conveniently  placed  for  tlie  silo  and  the  manure  shelter,  and 
though  in  a  plan  for  only  ten  milking  cows  this  isolation  of  the 
young  stock  in  an  entirely  separate  building  is  unusual,  yet 
here  it  has  worked  out  well  in  every  way. 

To  the  north  of  the  young  stock  is  a  woodshed  and  a  room 
for  storage — always  a  useful  thing  in  connection  with  the  farm 
barn  for  keeping  extra  utensils,  and  esi^ecially  the  storm  sash, 
blinds,  etc.,  which  during  some  months  in  the  year  are  out 
of  season  and  need  a  proper  and  accessible  storage  place. 

Faem  Baexs  at  Islip,  L.  I.,  N.  Y. — Fig.  42 

This  shows  another  variant  of  the  usual  conditions  obtain- 
ing on  the  private  estate.  The  plans  call  for  ten  milking 
cows,  seven  dry  stock  and  young  stock,  and  the  usual  calf 
pens.  Here  the  hay  has  been  stored  above  the  young  stock 
and  the  feed  room,  and  below  the  latter  is  a  root  cellar.  As 
before  stated,  it  is  frequently  convenient  to  place  the  hay  in' 
the  second  story  and,  when  circumstances  make  it  necessary 
to  store  it  over  the  animals,  it  is  preferably  placed  over  the 
young  stock  rather  than  over  the  milking  cows.  In  order  to 
economize  somewhat  in  the  size  of  the  buildings — for  the  site 
allotted  to  the  fann  barns  was  a  little  cramped,  though  a  fine 
one — this  placing  of  the  hay  seemed  advisable.  The  storage 
jDlace,  however,  was  not  a  general  storage  but  held  only  a  four- 
months'  supply  brought  from  the  main  hay  barn  some  dis- 
tance away. 

In  this  plan  the  bull  has  been  located  a  little  distance  from 
the  rest  of  the  cattle  and  his  pen,  extended  in  height,  is  used 
as  a  dove-cote  and  clock  tower. 

The  dairy  has  been  reduced  to  the  simplest  possible  solu- 
tion of  the  problem,  the  owner  wishing  to  carry  on  his  dairy- 


Of 
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[144] 


II.UIXCS  FHO.M    lilK 
EXVIKOXMEXT 


XdKlll— A   UKAUTIFUL 


THE  DAIKV.     EARM  BLILDIXGS  FOR  S.  T.  PETERS,  ESQ.,  ISLIP,  L 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BARNS      145 


ing  in  the  old-fashioned  way,  depending  on  soapsuds  and  sun- 
shine for  cleanliness,  a  pleasant  though  an  unscientific  view ; 
and  a  lattice  in  front  of  the  dairy  was  devised,  with  hooks 
and  pegs,  that  the  cans  and  pails  might  be  hung  in  the  sim 
upon  them. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  closet  for  the  men  has  an  out- 
side entrance  only.  This  was  put  in  at  the  pronounced  wish 
of  the  owner,  but  it  would  have  been  better  in  the  author's 
judgment  had  this  entrance  been  through  the  boiler  room. 
Here  it  would  have  been  less  likely  to  freeze  and  more  easily 
inspected.  This  feature  of  the  farm  bam  is  a  trying  one,  as 
such  places  are  usually  dirty  and  should  be  kept  as  far  away 
from  milk  production  as  possible.  On  the  other  hand,  they 
want  to  be  sufficiently  convenient  so  that  proper  inspection 
of  them  is  to  be  had  at  all  times,  and  it  is  a  mistake  to  locate 
the  toilet  where  it  cannot  have  easy  and  constant  supervision. 
The  location  given  to  it  in  Fig.  42  is  a  good  one,  and  though 
it  is  placed  nearer  the  dairy,  it  is  yet  sufficiently  removed. 
Here  has  been  provided  a  steam  and  water  connection  that 
cleanliness  may  be  assured  with  live  steam,  and  during  many 
inspections  the  result  has  never  revealed  anything  objection- 
able. This  feature  is  not,  after  all,  so  much  a  question  of 
locality  as  of  uncompromising  cleanliness — a  matter  of  ad- 
ministration rather  than  planning. 

The  manure  trolley  goes  to  the  manure  shelter  through  the 
feed  room,  and,  as  before  stated,  there  is  no  objection  to  this 
disiDOsition  of  it. 

The  buildings  depend  for  their  architectural  effectiveness 
entirely  on  their  roof  lines  and  in  the  simple  but  effective  way 
in  which  the  structnre  is  spread  over  the  ground. 


146 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


Farm  B.^ns  at  Moreistown,  N.  J. — Fig.  43 

This  was  the  first  farm  bam  building  which  came  to  the 
author's  architectural  practice,  and  was  built  in  1900,  when 
the  principles  of  sanitary  milk  were  not  so  definitely  estab- 
lished as  they  are  at  the  present  day.    Before  the  idea  of  the 


Alfred  Bopkins,  Architect 
FIG.  43— PLAN  OF  FARM  BUILDINGS  AT  MOBRISTOWN,  N.  J.,  FOR  O.  H.  KAHN,  ESQ. 

manure  carrier,  it  was  thought  that  the  only  way  to  dispose 
of  manure  was  to  throw  it  into  a  manure  pit,  which  for  con- 
venience was  always  placed  next  to  the  building.     From  the 


"^^ffl," 


«-r->iv..  --*.  w.r*i>-;' 


-."-  7^%- 
■'"•''V:::^ 


A  GOOD  GROUPING  lU  T  SADl.Y  JX  NEED  OK  PL AXTIXG.     1  ARM  BUILD- 
IXGS  FOR  CHARLES  E.  RL'SHMORE,  ESQ.,  WOODBURY  FALLS,  X.  Y. 


A    BEAUTIFUL   SETTIXG    FOR    THE    FARM    BARX.       1  A  KM 
FOR  O.   H.   KAHN,   ESQ.,  MORRISTOWX,   X.   J. 


15UILDIXGS 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BARNS      147 

present  point  of  view,  this  is  to  be  avoided,  but  it  was  the 
custom  at  that  time. 

The  sheep  pen,  opening  into  the  general  courtyard,  was 
eventually  given  up  and  used  for  young  stock.  Another  fault 
in  the  plan,  though  not  a  serious  one,  is  that  the  milk  has  to 
be  carried  through  the  feed  room  to  go  to  the  dairy.  It  may 
be  asked  by  the  thoughtful  reader,  why  this  plan  should  be 
published  by  way  of  illustrating  a  modern  farm  barn,  to  which 
the  architect  replies  that  it  was  a  first  and  a  serious  effort  to 
make  sightly  the  habitation  of  the  farm  aninial,  and  he  simply 
pleads  a  parent's  affection  for  his  first  child.  The  exterior  of 
the  buildings  is  perhaps  carried  out  in  a  less  simple  manner 
than  usual,  but  is  not  out  of  character  with  the  rest  of  the 
estate,  as  the  house  is  of  the  Casino  tj^e  as  designed  by  the 
distinguished  architects  of  the  Ponce  de  Leon  Hotel,  at  St. 
Augustine,  Fla. 

Faem  Barns  at  Woodbury  Falls,  N,  Y. — Fig.  44. 

This  plan  shows  the  smallest  requirements  yet  noted,  pro- 
viding for  only  three  stalls  for  farm  horses,  two  box  stalls  for 
riding-horses,  three  cows,  a  calf  pen,  together  with  a  dairy, 
farmhouse  and  sheds. 

The  dairy  has  been  devised  in  the  form  of  an  octagon,  and 
originally  had  an  exterior  stairway  uj)  to  a  man's  room  above. 
This  arrangement  formed  a  tower  which  greatly  increased  the 
architectural  effect  of  the  buildings,  but  was  discarded  for 
sanitary  reasons,  as  it  was  felt  that  the  man's  room  was  too 
near  the  dairy.  Probably  this  objection  is  more  sentimental 
than  real.  The  scheme  is  so  laid  out  that  the  farmer  can  go 
under  cover  directly  into  the  cow  barn  and  horse  stable ;  the 
dairy  being  separated  from  the  cow  stable  in  the  usual  way. 


148 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


In  the  plan  it  will  be  noted  that  the  door  to  the  dairy  is  sho\^^a 
opposite  the  door  to  the  cow  barn.  This  is  as  it  should  be. 
During  the  construction  of  the  building  the  owner  felt  that 
odors,  germs,  or  something  vague  but  contaminating,  might 
blow  from  the  cow  barn  and  the  yard  into  the  dairy,  and  the 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 

FIG.  44— PLAN  OF  FARM  BpiLDINGS  AT  WOODBURY  FALLS,  N.  Y.,  FOR  CHARLES  E. 

RUSHMORE,    ESQ. 

dairy  door  was  changed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  octagon. 
This  is,  perhaps,  a  natural  view  of  the  layman,  but  an  er- 
roneous one,  as  the  milk  has  been  already  exposed  to  con- 
tamination m  the  cow  barn  and  the  injury,  if  done  at  all,  has 
been  done  before  it  reaches  the  dairy.  Though  it  is  no  great 
hardship,  in  a  smaU  plan  of  this  character,  to  carry  the  milk 


GENERAL  VIEW 


THE  TOW  JiK.     I  AK.M    ISLll.lMXGS  FOR  J.  E.  DAVIS, 
ESQ.,   BROOKVII.LE,  I,.  I. 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BAENS      149 

a  few  feet  further  around  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  octagon, 
yet  this  detail  is  gone  into  as  a  reply  to  arguments  which  the 
architect  of  the  farm  bam  frequently  has  to  meet ;  and  in  any 
plan,  no  matter  how  small,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
work  of  the  milk  goes  on  twice  a  day  for  every  day  in  the 
vear,  and  the  ease  and  convenience  with  which  this  can  be 
done  should  not  be  sacrificed  for  any  reasons  other  than  good 
ones. 

Adjoining  the  dairy  is  the  heater  room,  and  between  it  and 
the  farmer's  house  is  the  woodshejl.  The  hay  is  kept  over  the 
feed  room  and  cow  barn,  which,  in  a  small  barn  of  this  char- 
acter, is  the  smiplest  way  of  caring  for  it. 

The  buildings  are  carried  out  in  stone,  which  adapts  itself 
well  to  a  covering  of  vines  and  foliage,  but,  imf ortunately,  the 
planting  was  left  until  some  future  time,  which  in  the  author's 
experience  at  least,  seldom  if  ever  arrives. 

Farm  Barns  at  Bkookville,  L.  L,  N.  Y. — Fig.  45 

The  plan  here  sho^vu  involves  some  decidedly  new  features. 
The  requirements  of  the  estate  seemed  to  call  imperatively  for 
all  faim  buildings  to  be  incorporated  in  the  one  group,  and 
the  owner,  an  accomplished  horseman,  insisted  that  his  rid- 
ing-horses and  his  dogs  be  placed  where  he  could  see  and  be 
with  them  conveniently.  It  must  be  confessed  that  the  ques- 
tion of  combining  a  dog-house  and  a  dairy  was  gone  into  with 
some  trepidation,  and  while  the  kennels  look  very  near  the 
dairy  on  the  plan,  yet  the  working  out  of  it  was  more  satis- 
factory than  was  anticipated.  "Were  the  author  to  solve  this 
problem  again,  he  would  endeavor  in  some  way  to  house  the 
howl  with  the  hound,  so  that  it  could  not  be  heard  out  of  the 
kennels.    There  is  no  data  yet  as  to  whether  or  not  milk  can 


r". 

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[150] 


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y^ 


^  y. 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BAENS      151 

be  contaminated  by  noise,  but  to  the  individual  who  walks 
through  these  kennels  it  would  seem  as  if  such  a  thing  were 
not  unlikely.  This  scheme  is  not  to  be  recommended  on  gen- 
eral principles,  but  in  this  instance  it  seemed  to  be  the  right 
thing.  Both  the  dog  kennels  and  the  chicken  houses  have 
been  run  east  and  west,  so  as  to  have  the  advantage  of  a  south- 
erly exposure  for  the  runs.  These  low  buildings  come  across 
the  south  of  the  cow  yard  and  form  an  enclosure  without  too 
much  obstruction.  The  horses  are  quartered  in  twelve  box 
stalls,  with  Dutch  doors  on  each  side ;  the  long  overhang  of  the 
roof  provides  a  convenient  place  for  the  manure  trolley,  which 
is  tracked  to  the  manure  shelter  to  the  west  of  the  hay  barn. 
The  men's  quarters  are  located  over  the  carriage  and  harness 
room,  with  a  second-story  porch,  and  a  machinery  room  is 
added  at  the  end  of  the  building.  The  tools  are  stored  at  the 
bottom  of  the  tower,  while  the  top  is  devoted  to  a  flock  of 
pigeons — always  a  picturesque  adornment.  The  buildings 
have  been  carried  out  in  the  simplest  possible  manner,  with 
wide  clapboards  and  shingle  roofs  and  in  the  hope  that  their 
general  type  is  such  as  will  not  look  out  of  place  on  an  old 
farm  some  way  back  from  the  pleasant  shores  of  Long  Is- 
land. 

Farm  Buildings  at  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I. — Fig.  46 

The  plan  of  the  buildings  here  sho-wn  calls  for  an  average 
problem,  so  far  as  actual  requirements  go.  The  original  build- 
ing, consisting  of  the  hay  barn,  horse  barn,  cow  barn  and  daily, 
was  built  some  five  years  ago.  The  owner  subsequently  be- 
came interested  in  thoroughbred  cattle  and  wanted  to  enlarge 
his  farm  buildings — a  not  infrequent  occurrence.  For  this 
reason,  in  choosing  the  site  for  the  farm  barn,  the  architect 


152         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


should  see  to  it  that  there  is  sufficient  space  around  his  orig- 
inal group  to  allow  for  possible  extension  in  the  future.  In 
two  instances  that  have  come  within  the  author's  experience, 
the  farm  has  been  put  to  real  inconvenience  because  the  build- 


J 


yiDDinoN 


lO  lo  30 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 

FIG.    46— PLAN    OF    FARM    BUILDINGS    AT    OYSTER   BAY,    L.    I.,    FOR   MORTIMER   L. 

SCHIFF,  ESQ. 

ings  were  originally  located  in  a  place  so  cramped  that  it  was 
impossible  ever  to  add  to  them. 

Not  so  long  ago,  the  problem  came  up  of  adding,  to  the 
above  plan,  space  for  young  stock  and  dry  stock,  and  it  was 


VIEWS  BOTH  WAYS  THROUGH  THE  AUCTIWAV  CONNECTING  THE  NEW 
YOUNG  STOCK   FARM  TO  THE  JIAIX  GROUP 


FARM  BUILDINGS  FOR  MORTEMER  L.  SCHIFF,  ESQ.,  OYSTER  BAY,  L.  1. 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BARNS      153 

decided  to  put  a  new  building  to  the  south  of  the  present  cow- 
bam  and  let  the  existing  road  come  between.  Connection  was 
made  by  an  arch  over  the  road,  and  two  fine  cedar  trees  which 
had  grown  to  mature  years  at  the  edge  of  the  pasture  were 
brought  very  happily  into  the  scheme  by  extending  the  road 
beneath  the  archway  so  as  to  pass  between  them.  The  manure 
trolley,  obliged  to  run  across  the  roadway,  was  arranged  to 
lift  at  that  point. 

The  addition  of  the  young  stock  wing  brought  the  yard  for 
the  young  stock  directly  on  the  main  road  to  the  farm  building, 
and  as  the  ground  sloped  there  to  the  south,  the  yards  had  to 
be  raised.  This  made  dry  yards  and  brought  into  prominence 
the  young  thoroughbreds  within  by  placing  them  at  the  very 
edge  of  the  main  thoroughfare  to  the  farm.  The  other  fea- 
tures are  the  usual  ones,  but  the  author  would  like  to  dwell 
a  little  on  the  thought  and  care  given  to  the  addition  to  the 
original  buildings,  which  became  on  that  accoimt  a  distinct 
improvement  to  them.  It  frequently  happens  that  additions 
to  the  farm  buildings  do  not  achieve  this  end,  such  further 
building  being  frequently  left  to  inexperienced  hands.  The 
tower  shown  in  the  backgroimd  was  erected  to  conceal  an  ugly 
iron  water  tank,  and  also  to  provide  a  viewpoint  which  should 
command  the  surrounding  country. 

Faem  Barns  at  North  Easton,  JNIass. — Fig.  47 

This  plan  shows  a  new  feature,  in  the  way  in  which  the  two 
wings  come  to  a  common  feed  room.  The  advantage  of  this 
arrangement  is  seen  in  the  ease  with  which  the  cattle  are  fed. 
This  farm  group  is  designed  for  the  owner  of  probably  the 
finest  herd  of  Guernseys  in  this  country,  one  who  would  listen 
to  no  reasons  for  sanitary  milk,  saying  that  his  milk  was  dis- 


154 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


tinctly  a  by-product  and  that  liis  interests  lay  entirely  in  the 
breeding  of  his  cattle.     For  this  reason  calf  pens  were  put 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 

FIG.    47 — PLAN   OP    FARM    BUILDINGS    AT    NORTH    EASTON,    MASS.,    FOR    F.    LOTHROP 

AMES,    ESQ. 

in  the  milking  cow  barn,  so  that  the  calves  could  have  the  bene- 
fit of  the  warmth  from  the  mature  animals,  a  custom  wMch 
prevailed  generally  some  eight  or  ten  years  ago.  The  loca- 
tion of  the  feed  room  was  original  and  distinctly  successful, 
but  apart  from  this  the  plan  follows  out  the  usual  arrange- 
ment. 


SHINGLK  ROOFS;   CLAPIJOARDED  WALLS,  I'AIMKI)  UIJ)  W  1  rH  WHITE 

TRIiMMINGS 


FARM   BUILDLVGS  FOR   F.  L.   AMES,  ESQ.,   NORTH   EASTOX,   >L\SS. 


PLANS  OF  FAEM  BARNS      155 

Farm  Barns  at  New  Boston,  N.  H. — Fig.  48. 

This  plan  shows  a  distinctly  commercial  barn,  devised  with 
no  idea  of  architectural  embellishment.  The  thing  considered 
above  all  was  the  cow  barn,  which,  while  it  follows  out  the 
usual  practice,  was  made  as  low  as  possible  with  a  flat,  fireproof 
roof,  so  that  the  ventilating  shafts  at  the  side  of  the  building 
could  be  run  well  above  the  roof,  and  be  as  efficient  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  have  ventilation  when  acquired  from  natural  sources. 
In  the  paragraph  on  ventilation  it  has  already  been  stated  that 
vertical  ducts  of  this  description,  if  run  well  above  a  flat  roof, 
are  perhaps  the  most  efficient,  and  this  assertion  seems  to  have 
been  borne  out  in  the  ventilation  of  this  building.  Where  the 
cows  are  bedded  with  the  shavings  generally  used  in  large 
plants  of  this  character,  a  special  bedding  bin  is  desirable,  and 
was  here  constructed  so  as  to  be  filled  from  the  outside;  the 
corner  bemg  cut  off  so  that  the  horses  could  proceed  around 
through  the  hay  barn  without  backing  out.  The  silos  are 
located  in  the  usual  manner,  opening  into  the  feed  room  and^ 
in  the  corner  of  the  hay  barn  on  a  lower  level,  is  a  room  for 
the  steam  roller,  utilized  as  the  motive  power  for  the  ensilage 
cutter  and  blower.  As  there  was  already  a  large  dairy  on 
the  farm,  all  that  was  wanted  in  connection  with  the  new  cow 
barn  was  a  can  room  where  the  cans  could  be  washed  and  kept 
for  milking  and  for  delivery.  A  wash  room  for  the  men  was 
provided  in  a  small  building  adjoining  the  cow  barn.  The 
manure  was  disposed  of  in  the  simplest  possible  way,  by  track- 
ing it  through  the  side  of  the  building,  where  it  is  emptied  into 
manure  spreaders  and  carted  away  daily. 


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[156] 


PLANS   OF   FAR:^r   BARNS  157 

The  Brllrcliff  Farm,  White  Plains,  N.  Y. — Fig,  49 

This  shows  an  extended  barn  containing  stalls  for  two  hun- 
dred cattle,  the  plans  of  which  were  drawn  by  Mr.  Robert  W. 
Gardner,  New  York  City.  This  is  strictly  a  commercial  plant, 
but  worked  out  carefully  with  a  view  of  fulfilling  the  most 
exact  sanitary  conditions.    This  barn  was  a  unit  of  a  group 


Robert   W.   Gardner,  Architect 
FIG.   49— PLAN  OF   THE  BRIARCLIFF   COW  BARN,    PINE    PLAINS,    DUCHESS   CO.,   N.   Y. 

of  some  three  structures  of  similar  design  which  were  located 
at  various  places  on  the  farm.  To  this  barn  has  been  added 
a  milk  cooling  room,  locker  and  wash  room,  sterilizer  and 
boiler.  Although  there  is  elsewhere  a  central  bottling  room 
where  all  milk  is  bottled,  the  milk  is  cooled,  the  cans  washed 
and  sterilized  at  the  farm  barn  itself.  Each  bam  has  there- 
fore its  ovra  dairy,  equipped  with  every  modern  appliance  for 
the  care  of  milk  except  the  bottling  table. 

The  ventilation  is  entirely  satisfactory,  the  outlet  ducts  be- 
ing the  size  of  one  stall  and  running  from  the  floor  of  the 
building  up  through  the  roof  to  a  height  of  40  ft.  While  these 
vents  are  unsightly,  yet  in  a  building  of  this  character  the 
practical  thing  must  prevail,  and  nothing  more  practical  than 
this  arrangement  for  the  outlet  duct  could  be  devised.    The 


158 


MODEEN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


inlet  duct,  instead  of  being  placed  in  the  wall  where  it  would 
have  been  cramped  in  size,  is  put  directly  on  the  outside  of 
the  building. 

The  stall  gutters  have  been  put  in  level,  and  after  being 
cleaned  out  are  hosed  down  and  broomed  out.    The  concrete 


Robert    W.    Gardner,  Architect 
FIG.    50— SECTION   THROUGH   THE   BRIAKCLIFF    BARN 


floors  were  all  kept  above  the  ground,  as  shown  in  Fig.  50. 
This  has  proved  to  be  very  satisfactory  and  it  is  found  that 
the  floors  keep  much  drier  and  warmer  when  they  are  raised 
above  the  earth  in  this  manner.  The  feed  is  kept  in  the  second 
story,  over  the  feed  room,  although  this  second  story  space  en- 
croaches some  52  ft.  over  the  end  of  the  cow  barn. 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BARNS      159 

Proposed  Faem  Buildings  at  Portchesteb,  N,  Y. — Fig.  51 

While  the  author  was  engaged  in  preparing  the  foregomg 
pages  for  the  press,  he  was  also  hard  at  work  upon  the  scheme 
he  here  presents,  and  which  is  the  result  of  much  thought  and 
careful  consideration  and  investigation. 

The  problem  was  this:  a  gentleman  having  purchased  a 
country  estate,  already  of  considerable  architectural  interest, 
had  become  fascinated  with  the  idea  of  having  and  developing 
the  finest  herd  of  Ayrshire  cattle  in  America,  and  he  wanted 
to  house  this  herd  in  buildings  which  should  be  creditable  in 
appearance  and  as  perfect  in  every  detail  of  comfort  and 
healthfulness  as  human  thought  and  ingenuity  could  make 
them.  The  owner  had  given  much  of  his  own  time  to  the  prob- 
lem and  developed  some  very  practical  ideas  in  methods  of 
administration,  which  will  be  referred  to  in  the  discussion  of 
the  plan,  A  beautiful  site  was  available  (though  not  until 
additional  land  was  purchased),  which  was  protected  on  the 
north  by  a  dense  woods  and  open  to  the  south,  the  east  and  the 
west  to  an  exceptional  degree. 

It  was  decided  to  keep  eighty  milking  cows,  and  these  are 
housed  in  two  barns,  the  milk  room — from  which  the  milk  is 
sent  by  trolley  to  the  dairy — ^being  placed  between  them. 
This  milk  room  is  arranged  so  that  the  records  of  the  two  milk- 
ing barns  are  kept  on  opposite  sides  of  the  room,  as  are  also 
the  wash-basins  for  the  men.  Though  the  one  milk  room  an- 
swers for  both  barns,  yet  the  milkers  and  the  records  of  each 
barn  are  kept  distinct  and  separate.  The  milk  room  is  reached 
through  passageways  leading  from  the  east  ends  of  the  cow 
barns.  Connecting  the  west  ends  of  the  cow  barns  is  a  long 
room  in  which  it  is  intended  to  wash  and  clean  the  cattle  pre- 


■S       ID 

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[160] 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BARXS      161 

paratory  to  milking,  although  it  is  not  improbable  that  this 
room,  in  time,  may  be  given  up  and  the  sjoace  used  for  ad- 
ditional milking  cows,  as  the  herd  increases  in  size  and  im- 
portance. 

Opposite  the  milking  barns  are  two  barns,  which  have  been 
called  the  "Conditioning  Barn"  and  the  "Testing  Barn." 
The  Conditioning  Barn  will  be  under  the  direction  of  one  man 
whose  duty  it  will  be  to  put  the  cow  in  the  best  possible  phys- 
ical condition  preparatory  to  ha\"ing  her  calf.  This  is  the 
owner's  contribution  to  the  plan,  and  a  very  excellent  one  it 
is.  This  barn  is  equipped  with  twenty  box  stalls  and  with  a 
separate  feed  room  for  special  feeds.  There  is  also  a  room 
which  will  contain  a  hot-water  heating  system,  for  both  the 
Conditioning  and  Testing  Barns.  In  the  Conditioning  Bam 
the  cow  will  have  her  calf,  and,  after  the  proper  interval,  if 
it  is  decided  that  she  is  to  try  for  the  advanced  registry,  she 
will  be  taken  into  the  Testing  Bam  for  that  test.  This  barn, 
like  the  Conditioning  Barn,  has  twenty  box  stalls,  and  has, 
perhaps,  a  slight  advantage  over  that  barn  in  location.  The 
box  stalls  here  have  Dutch  doors,  and  in  both  structures  the 
stall  partitions  have  been  made  only  3  ft.  high,  though  above 
this  is  a  2-in.  galvanized  iron  pipe  rail  at  a  height  of  4  ft. 
above  the  floor.  This  partition,  shown  in  Fig.  9,  will  obscure 
the  animal  less  and  will  afford  better  ventilation  than  any 
other  yet  suggested. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the  plan  is  the 
way  the  four  cow  bams  are  placed,  forming  a  great  court, 
with  the  hay  barn  at  the  northwest.  The  hay  barn  and  the 
four  cow  barns  are  all  connected  by  a  continuous  covered  pas- 
sageway, through  which  the  feed  is  distributed  and  the  manvire 
is  trolleyed  to  the  manure  carts.     This  covered  passageway 


162         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

will  be  utilized  as  a  shelter  for  the  cattle  in  the  winter,  when 
they  will  be  turned  out  every  day  for  an  airing.  One  of  the 
best  ways  to  keep  cattle  moving  and  exercising  in  cold  weather 
is  to  feed  them  in  the  yard,  and  the  plan  adapts  itself  most 
readily  to  an  easy  carrying  out  of  this  idea.  The  great  court 
is  divided  in  the  center,  so  that  the  cattle  from  each  of  the 
milking  cow  barns  may  have  a  separate  yard  of  their  own. 
The  disposition  of  the  feed  rooms  and  the  construction  of 
the  hay  barn  are  all  along  the  lines  which  have  previously 
been  advocated  and  illustrated,  but  the  arrangement  of  the 
cow  barns  ^  is  quite  a  new  feature  and  one  that  seems 
certain  to  work  out  well  both  practically  and  architectu- 
rally. 

The  dairy  is  designed  along  f  anailiar  lines,  the  only  varia- 
tion being  that  all  the  service — the  shipping  of  the  milk  and 
the  return  of  the  cans — is  maintained  at  the  rear  of  the  build- 
ing, which  keeps  the  front  entirely  free  from  the  ii'affic  of 
the  milk  wagons.  Additional  space — and  space  that  is  con- 
veniently located  to  the  wash  room  and  refrigerator — has  been 
left  for  the  incoming  and  outgoing  cases.  To  meet  the  regula- 
tions of  the  Board  of  Health,  a  lavatory  has  been  omitted  from 
the  dairy  building,  though  the  author  believes  that  such  a 
regulation  is  entirely  imnecessary  in  a  building  of  this  char- 
acter, where  every  sanitary  detail  will  be  looked  after  and 
provided  for  in  the  most  careful  manner. 

The  young  stock  buildings  have  been  incorporated  in  the 
mam  group  so  as  to  be  readily  accessible  to  the  feed  and  ma- 
nure trolley  systems.  The  barn  for  calves  is  open  to  the  south, 
and  is  nothiiig  more  than  a  shed  in  which  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year  the  calri'omps  in  and  out  at  pleasure.  This  method  of 
rearing  the  young  animal  has  been  accompanied  by  the  most 


PLANS  OF  FARM  BARNS      163 

satisfactory  results,  and  is  infinitely  better  than  keeping  them 
in  an  enclosed  barn. 

As  the  calf  matures  and  grows  larger,  it  is  quartered  in  the 
young  stock  barn  and  here  fed  in  the  stanchion.  A  small  hay 
barn  for  the  storage  of  the  hay  and  straw  for  the  calves  has 
been  included  in  the  young  stock  group,  though  the  grain  and 
ensilage  is  conveniently  brought  from  the  main  storage.  The 
young  stock  quarters  are  connected  by  a  covered  passageway, 
so  that  the  entire  group  may  be  inspected  under  cover.  Con- 
nected to  this  passageway  are  the  bull  pens  and  their  yards. 
All  the  manure  is  conveniently  trolleyed  to  the  one  manure 
shelter,  large  enough  to  accommodate  three  carts. 

The  buildings  are  to  be  carried  out  in  j^ellow  brick,  with 
shingle  roofs,  and  the  woodwork,  which  is  left  rough  from  the 
adze,  will  be  stained  a  soft  brown.  The  two  fine  trees  between 
the  young  stock  and  the  main  group — one  a  maple,  the  other  a 
sycamore — nature  has  developed  into  splendid  specimens,  and 
at  the  rear  end  of  the  broad  roadway  in  front  of  the  buildings, 
an  old  apple  orchard  will  give  up  one  of  its  rows  of  trees  so 
that  a  straight  and  uninterrupted  avenue  may  be  continued  in 
front  of  the  new  farm  buildings. 

The  plans  and  photographs  herein  set  forth  show  only  a  few 
of  the  many  varieties  of  expression  which  may  be  given  to  the 
farm  barn.  It  is  earnestly  hoped  these  have  demonstrated 
that  such  buildings  can  be  made  not  only  practical,  but  may 
have  an  architectural  character  entirely  their  o^vn.  In  our 
present  methods  of  haste,  especially  with  regard  to  things 
artistic,  the  esthetic  value  of  the  f aim  barn  has  been  entirely 
overlooked.  Men  have  lavished  vast  sums  in  the  building  of 
the  house  and  in  the  adornment  of  the  coach  stable,  in  great 


164         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

gardens  and  woods  and  bridges,  but  the  home  of  the  f  ann  ani- 
mal has  received  but  little  attention  from  those  who  would 
make  it  sightly  as  well  as  sanitary. 

The  far  greater  part  of  this  book  has  of  necessity  been  de- 
voted to  the  practical  things,  for  the  architect  of  our  times 
must  build  usefully  as  well  as  artistically,  but  the  author 
would  feel  that  his  work  had  been  in  vain  if  he  has  not  shown 
that  the  farm  buildings  may  be  made  an  attractive  addition 
to  any  estate,  as  well  as  a  more  comfortable  and  healthful 
place  for  the  patient  creatures  who  dwell  within  them. 


Chapter  YII 
THE  SMALLER  PROBLEM 

IT  occasionally  happens  that  the  architect  is  called  upon 
to  design  a  building  for  a  horse  and  a  cow,  or  latterly  an 
automobile  and  a  cow,  the  owner  wishing  to  provide  against 
the  possibilities  of  impure  milk  by  securing  it  fresh  from  his 
own  animal.  Generally,  the  cheapest  and  best  method  for 
such  a  farmer  to  pursue  in  his  quest  for  clean  milk  is  to  buy 


O.    S.    Eeefe,   Architect 
FIG.      52 — PLAN      OF      SMALL      STABLE      FOB 
HORSE  AND  COW 

it.  If  he  can  purchase  milk  which  has  been  certified,  it  will 
be  cleaner  and  better  than  any  he  will  be  likely  to  produce  for 
himself.  If  he  lives  where  such  milk  is  not  obtainable  or 
wants  the  fun  of  creating  his  own  milk  supply,  that  Is  another 
matter,  and  one  which  we  will  now  take  up  briefly. 

The  disadvantage  of  keeping  the  single  cow  has  not  to  do 

165 


166         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

with  that  patient  animal  itself,  but  with  the  care  which  it  is 
necessary  to  take  in  keeping  her  clean  and  in  milking  her 
properly  in  sanitary  surroundings.     Such  an  establishment  is 
usually  taken  care  of  by  "the  man,"  who  works  in  the  garden, 
tends  the  horse,  and  is  as  likely  as  not  to  clean  out  the  horse 
stable  just  before  he  seats  hunself  to  milk.     To  teach  such  an 
individual  and  to  hope  that  he  will  retain  the  most  rudimen- 
tary knowledge  of  what  is  necessary  for  clean  milk,  seems  too 
much  to  expect.    A  good  housekeeper  would  hardly  call  upon 
the  stableman  to  come  directly  from  his  work  and  help  the 
cook  prepare  the  dinner,  and  yet  it  is  quite  usual  to  have  him 
proceed  under  those  conditions  to  prepare  the  milk,  which  is 
eaten  raw,  and  is  a  much  more  delicate  substance  and  more 
liable  to  infection  than  anj^  cooked  food  prepared  in  the  home. 
Consequently,  the  substitution  of  a  dairy  maid  for  the  milk- 
ing at  least  is  gi'eatly  to  be  desired.    If  this  is  an  impractical 
suggestion,  and  perhaps  the  carrying  out  of  it  might  cause  a 
revolution  in  some  households,  then  the  only  thing  is  to  urge 
"the  man"  to  be  as  clean  as  possible  and  try  and  remember 
to  wash  his  hands  before  he  milks,  and  to  give  up  the  habit 
of  chewing  tobacco  during  the  operation.     The  cow's  hair  on 
her  flanks  and  udder  should  be  clipped  and  not  allowed  to  grow 
long.    This  is  important.    If  the  cook  finds  cow's  hair  and 
dandruff  on  the  foam  in  the  milk,  then  "James"  should  be 
spoken  to  about  it.    All  the  milk  things  should  be  boiled  every 
day,  and  the  milk,  as  soon  as  milked,  should  be  put  in  bottles 
and  kept  in  the  refrigerator.    A  cooler  is  quite  unnecessary 
for  the  one-cow  problem.    A  clean  apron,  fresh  at  least  twice 
a  week,  should  be  used  at  mining,  and  it  must  not  be  kept  in 
the  stable.    It  is  probably  better  to  milk  the  cow  at  her  tether 
than  in  the  average  stable,  though  this  is  bad  practice  for  the 


[167] 


168 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


serious  problem;  milk  drawn  in  the  field  always  shows,  on 
analysis,  the  presence  of  bacteria. 

A  separate  milking  shed  with  concrete  floor  would  not  be 
expensive  and  w^ould  be  an  excellent  idea.  Here  a  wash-basin 
could  be  provided  and  a  place  prepared  for  the  storage  of  milk 
utensils ;  in  fact,  a  combination  milking  barn  and  dairy.  Real 
cleanliness  is  the  thing  required,  but  seems  never  to  have  been 
thought  necessary  for  the  care  of  milk.    The  proprietor  of  the 


TKajCCTIOH    ABOVt 

I — 


rtED  K-M 
Pttt)  am 


SiTC 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 

FIG.  54— PROPOSED  SMALL  STABLE  AT  HEWLET,  L.  I„  FOR  H.  T.  S. 

GREEN,    ESQ. 

farm  we  are  discussing  should  have  his  wife  read  carefully 
the  preceding  notes  on  "Administration"  and  carry  them  out 
as  far  as  possible.  A  housekeei^er 's  common  sense  directed 
toward  such  a  milk  supply  will  be  all  that  is  necessary,  and  if 
rihe  will  but  keep  her  cow  and  stable  as  clean  as  she  does  her 
kitchen  where  other  food  is  prepared,  she  will  not  need  the 
advice  of  specialists  on  milk  production. 

With  regard  to  the  i^lan  of  the  building,  there  are  few  things 
of  importance  after  having  entirely  separated  the  cow  from 
the  horse  and  arranged  proper  ventilation  for  both  their  com- 


THE    SMALLER   PROBLEM  169 

partments.  The  cow  stall  should  be  reached  through  outside 
air  only  and  should  never  be  directly  connected  with  the  horse 
stable.  The  manure  pit  is  best  eliminated  and  the  manure  put 
into  covered  galvanized  iron  cans.  These  cans  can  be  emp- 
tied on  a  compost  heap  in  the  garden,  and  must  at  all  times  be 
kept  clean. 

The  storage  of  feed  is  usually  had  above  the  stable,  but  it 
adds  to  the  appearance  as  well  as  the  convenience  of  the 
building  to  arrange  a  small  feed  room  on  the  first  floor,  between 
the  cow  and  the  horse. 

Each  animal  is  best  kept  in  a  box  stall,  which — for  the  horse 
— may  be  divided  temporarily  for  two  animals  by  a  movable 
partition  already  referred  to. 

The  interior  of  the  stable  is  best  carried  out  in  plaster  in 
preference  to  wood,  and  the  entire  structure  should  follow  the 
lines  already  suggested  for  the  modern  farm  buildings.  Figs. 
52,  53  and  54  show  simple  solutions  of  the  smaller  problem. 


Chapter  VIII 
THE  GAEAGE 

THAT  the  automobile  is  quite  as  important  on  the  modern 
farm  as  the  other  equipment,  goes  without  saying,  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  a  space  for  the  automobile  should  not 
be  arranged  in  the  farm  group,  pro^dded  this  is  done  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  garage  will  have  its  separate  entrance.  This 
of  course  should  be  as  far  away  from  the  cow  barn  and  horse 
barn  as  possible.  The  automobile  should  never  be  allowed  to 
come  into  the  general  courtyard.  Farm  horses  are,  perhaps, 
more  disturbed  by  it  than  any  others,  and  in  the  small  prob- 
lem, where  the  horses  and  cows  are  necessarily  near  together, 
it  is  much  better  to  eliminate  the  automobile  from  the  group 
and  put  up  a  separate  garage  at  a  distance.  The  garage  is 
better  combined  with  the  coach  stable  or  the  farm  stable. 
Fig.  55  shows  a  plan  for  a  large  farm  stable  where  the  garage 
has  not  only  its  separate  entrance  to  the  building  but  its  sepa- 
rate roadway  from  the  main  thoroughfare  through  the  estate. 
Consequently  there  is  no  reason  for  the  chauffeur  to  bring  his 
machine  even  on  the  road  which  leads  to  the  entrance  of  the 
stable.  Fig.  56  shows  the  garage  combined  with  a  stable 
which  was  built  in  such  a  confined  situation  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  separate  as  much  as  is  desirable  the  entrance  to  the 
garage  from  the  entrance  to  the  stable.  The  plan,  however, 
has  some  interesting  features — notably  the  outdoor  wash  be- 
tween the  garage  and  the  stable  for  the  use  of  both,  ^^hich 

170 


THE   GARAGE 


171 


lias  been  utilized  to  separate  the  garage  and  stable,  and  yet 
combine  them  in  one  building.  The  garage  has  space  for  three 
cars.    The  projecting  bay  in  front  makes  the  building  more  at- 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 
FIG.  55 — PROPOSED  FARM   STABLE   AT  GREENWICH,   CONN.,  FOR  THE   LATE  HUGH 

J.    CHISOLM,    ESQ. 


tractive  at  that  end,  the  point  of  approach,  and  affords  space 
besides  for  a  work-bench  and  a  closet  for  tools.    In  the  second 


172 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


story  of  the  stable  an  apartment — and  one  with  a  very  at- 
tractive exposure — has  been  arranged  for  the  coachman ;  his 
entrance  bemg  from  the  porch  on  the  corner  and  always 
through  the  outside  air,  thereby  avoiding  any  possibility  of 
the  odors  from  the  stable  reaching  the  living  quarters.  From 
the  kitchen  projects  a  second-story  porch,  an  addition  to  the 


Alfred  Eopkiru,  Arehiteet 
FIG.   56— PLAN  OF  GARAGE  AND  STABLE  AT  ARMONK,   N.  Y.,  FOR  C.   R.  AGNEW,    ESQ. 

home  which  as  yet  is  not  generally  appreciated.  The  build- 
ing was  constructed  of  rough  field  stone  and  the  roofs  of  rived 
cypress  shingles.  The  timber  work  of  the  porches  and  the 
overhangs  of  the  roofs,  of  rough-hewn  chestnut,  are  stained  a 
soft  dark  brown  which  time  is  constantly  increasing  in  depth 
of  tone. 

In  Fig.  57  is  seen  a  large  plan  with  garage  and  stable  com- 
bined in  the  one  structure.  Each  has  its  separate  wing 
and  separate  entrance.  A  most  imiDortant  feature  of  the 
architect's  work  upon  the  country  estate  is  to  combine  his 
buildings — if  not  in  one  structure,  at  least  in  one  group  of 
structures — so  that  in  the  architectural  composition  all  build- 
ings will  have  a  distinct  relation  one  with  the  other.  Nothing 
is  more  imsightly  or  shows  less  grasp  of  the  architectural 


\  I  I;  Wl  E   FRONT 


THE  BROKEN.   HOOF  LINES  AT  TllK  BACK.     STABLE  AND  GARAGE  FOR 
C.   R.   AGNEW,    KSQ.,    ARMONK,   X.    Y. 


THE   GARAGE 


173 


phase  of  country  work  than  to  have  various  buildings  of  vari- 
ous sizes  and  various  uses,  erected  of  various  designs  and  ma- 


iLoor  Li«it  ne^vc.-,  KAHUU  TIOLL 


WiGOH  nn 


•  '  ■•  ■'  MfT 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 
FIG.  57— PLAN  OF  STABLE  AND  GAKAGE  AT  ISLIP,  L.  I.,  FOR  J.  HENBY  DICK,  ESQ. 


terials  in  various  places.    To  the  discriminating  eye,  this  is 
the  very  acme  of  all  that  is  awful. 

The  Independent  Gaeage 

The  equipment  and  arrangement  of  the  garage  itself  is  such 
a  simple  matter  that  it  will  be  but  briefly  touched  on  here. 
The  featm'e  which  is  liable  to  put  the  designer  in  the  greatest 
quandary  is  the  doors.  For  a  small  establishment  of,  say,  two 
or  three  cars,  a  door  is  certainly  needed  for  each  car  space. 


174 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


When  it  is  possible,  a  single  sliding  door  is  the  best.  It  is  not 
always  a  disadvantage  to  have  one  door  slide  in  front  of  an- 
other, as  usually  one  large  door  in  use  at  a  time  is  sufficient. 
In  Fig.  56,  a  garage  with  three  doors,  two  of  the  doors  were 
arranged  to  slide,  and  one — ^presumably  the  least  used  one — 


I  CHAUFFEURS 
ROOM 


AUTO 

WASH 

UP 

_^^^__       , 

rrt 

LOCKLES  !-— 

Qlt 

oo 

o 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 
FIG.  58— PLAN  OF  GARAGE  AT  I  SLIP,  L.  I.,  FOR  S.  T.  PETERS,  ESQ. 


opposite  the  pit  and  repair  bench,  was  hinged.  This  allows 
the  two  sliding  doors  to  slide  back  of  the  hinged  door  so  that 
two  unobstructed  openings  are  available  at  all  times.  In  any 
group  of  three  doors  where  one  is  swung  out,  it  is  always  pos- 
sible to  arrange  the  other  two  to  slide  back  of  the  swinging 
door.  This  swinging  door  is  usually  placed  at  the  end  but  may 
be  in  the  center  just  as  well.  For  three  doors  this  method 
of  hanging  them  is  probably  the  best  arrangement. 

Another  type  of  door  (see  plate  opposite)   is  frequently 


PIGGERY  OF  S.  T.  PETERS,  ESQ.,  ISLIP,  L.  I. 


SHOWING  EXTUAXCE  DOORS 


ro  GARAGE  lUR  S.  T.  PETERS,  ESQ., 
ISLIP,  L.  I. 


THE   GARAGE  175 

used.  This  folds  in  the  center,  horizontally,  and  by  its 
mechanism  is  hoisted  up  and  held  at  the  very  top  of  the 
opening.  This  allows  any  number  of  doors  to  be  used  at  once, 
as  each  door  is  contained  within  its  own  opening,  which  has  to 
be  10  ft.  in  height.  This  mechanism,  while  cumbersome,  is 
not  impracticable  and  is  desirable  under  certain  conditions. 
It  was  used  for  the  garage  at  Islip,  Fig.  58,  where  it  was  de- 
sirable on  account  of  the  number  of  machines  in  frequent 
use. 

For  a  structure  of  a  temporary  nature  the  doors  may  be 
opened  out  (facing  p.  170)  and  each  door  held  open  very 
readily  by  a  stock  hardware  fixture,  and  one  which  seems  to 
work  well.  For  doors  opening  out  this  de\dce  is  necessary, 
and  doors  hung  in  this  manner  are  the  least  expensive  in  their 
installation.  For  important  work  the  other  two  methods  are 
the  best,  as  doors  swung  out  are  unsightly  and  in  the  way. 

Another  method  is  to  hang  the  door  in  four  folds,  that  is, 
di^dde  each  half  into  two  folds.  This  allows  the  doors  to  fold 
back  into  a  2-ft.  jamb  where  they  are  well  out  of  the  way.  The 
objection  to  this  method  is  the  number  of  bolts  required  to 
fasten  each  fold. 

The  foregoing  suggestions  with  regard  to  doors  are  all  made 
for  the  garage  with  entrance  on  one  side  only,  and  having  a 
door  for  each  automobile.  As  has  been  pointed  out  this  plan 
frequently  complicates  the  operation  of  the  doors  and  in  the 
plan  shown  in  Fig.  57  the  garage  was  designed  with  doors  wide 
enough  to  allow  storage  space  for  two  automobiles  opposite  the 
one  door  opening.  This  scheme  was  devised  on  the  theory 
that  one  large  single  door,  wide  enough  for  two  automobiles, 
is  more  easily  handled  than  would  be  two  smaller  doors,  es- 
pecially where  these  are  hinged  in  pairs,  making  four  swing 


176 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


doors  for  two  openings.     The  two  end  doors  in  Fig,  57  slide 
in  pockets,  the  center  door  sliding  on  the  wall  behind  them; 
by  this  arrangement  all  doors  may  be  used  independently  and 
all  opened  at  once. 
Apart  from  the  doors  the  garage  offers  no  difificnlties,  ex- 


SHEO 


=3* 


FIG.  59- 


Alfred   Hopkins,   Architect 
-PLAN  OF  A  PROPOSED  GARAGE  AND  CHAUFFEUR'S  COTTAGE 


cept  to  avoid  the  instinct  which  prompts  most  people  to  build 
too  small.  Ten  feet  should  be  allowed  for  the  width  of  a  car 
where  each  machine  has  its  own  door,  and  for  the  smaller  ma- 
chines the  depth  of  the  building  should  never  be  less  than  20 
ft.  Where  cars  of  17  ft.  in  length  are  housed,  a  depth  of  25 
ft.  is  desirable.  The  doors  should  never  be  narrower  than 
8  ft.  and  8  ft.,  6  in.  or  9  ft.  seems  of  sufficient  height. 

In  Fig.  58  is  given  the  plan  of  a  garage  which  has  proved 
entirely  satisfactory.  The  large  room  contains  six  cars,  three 
on  each  side.  The  entrance  is  of  sufficient  width  to  allow  one 
car  to  be  washed  and  still  leave  a  clear  space  for  passage  in 


THE   GARAGE 


177 


or  out.  The  machine  shop  is  to  the  left  of  the  entrance  and 
the  chauffeur's  room  to  the  right.  Over  the  front  rooms  are 
four  sleeping-rooms  with  a  living-porch  on  the  second  story, 
which  caught  the  owner's  fancy  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
had  a  similar  structure  added  to  his  own  home. 
In  Fig.  59  the  plan  is  given  of  a  garage  and  chauffeur's  cot- 


POB.CH 


Ji M_ 


Alfred  Hopkins,  Architect 
FIG.  60 — PLAN  OF  GAKAGE  AT  GLEN  COVE,  L.  I.,  FOR  CLIFFORD  V.  BROKAW,  ESQ. 


tage  which  has  in  addition  a  large  shed  for  visiting  machines 
— always  a  desirable  and  frequently  a  necessary  feature  in  the 
private  garage. 

In  Fig.  60  is  shown  a  plan  along  similar  lines  to  that  in  Fig. 
57,  except  that  the  entrance  is  larger,  accommodating  two 
washes,  one  on  each  side  of  the  entrance.    In  Fig.  57  the  site 


178 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


allo^Yed  entrance  to  the  garage  from  the  front  and  back,  which 
simiDlified  the  problem  greatly.  In  Fig.  60,  entrance  was  to 
be  had  from  the  front  only,  which  necessitated  the  widest  pos- 
sible opening  from  the  wash  to  the  automobile  room.  This 
does  not  separate  the  washing  space  quite  as  much  as  is  de- 
sirable, for  the  wet  and  spatter  of  the  hose  is  best  kept  en- 
tirely away  from  the  clean  cars.     To  partially  overcome  this 


■Z-A' 


FRAME 


-J     FIjOOR 
C3RATINQ    I5'xi4-"     I     LINE\ 


4-"  WASTE. 


FIG.  61— DETAIL  OF  SAND  TRAP  FOR  THE  AUTOMOBILE 
WASH  OR  CARRIAGE  WASH 


objection  in  the  plan  (Fig.  60),  an  overhead  washer  was  jDut 
in  the  machine  shop,  which  will  allow  a  third  i^lace  where  cars 
may  be  washed.  Here  the  washing  will  be  entirely  out  of  the 
way — a  disposition  of  the  wash  room  which  the  chauffeur  in- 
variably prefers.  Fig  61  gives  the  detail  of  a  very  good 
type  of  outlet  for  either  the  automobile  wash  or  the  carriage 
wash.  This  trap,  called  a  "sand  trap,"  is  formed  entirely  in 
the  concrete  floor.  The  sand  from  the  washing  will  not  stop 
up  the  soil  Ime,  but  collects  in  the  bottom  of  the  trap,  where 
it  can  easily  be  removed  with  a  hoe.  The  grating  and  frame 
should  be  galvanized  and  the  grating  made  easily  removable. 
In  arranging  for  the  chauffeur's  rooms  the  temptation  is 
to  put  them  on  the  second  story  on  account  of  economy.  This 
is  a  delusion.    It  is  not  an  economy,  and  much  more  artistic 


THE   GARAGE  179 

results  are  obtained  by  keeping  them  on  the  first  story.  By  so 
doing,  a  more  interesting  mass  of  the  building  is  possible,  and 
more  comfortable  living-quarters  are  obtained. 

The  pump  for  gasoline  is  always  desirable,  and  the  tank 
must  be  20  ft.  away  from  the  building  and  filled  from  the  out- 
side. The  pipe  should  drain  from  the  pump  to  the  tank — 
never  the  reverse.  In  the  plan  shown  in  Fig.  60,  two  deep 
alcoves  on  either  side  of  the  door  to  the  machine  shop  have 
been  arranged:  one  to  receive  the  gasoline  piunp  and  hose, 
the  other  the  enameled  iron  cabinet  for  the  lubricating  oils. 


Chapter  IX 

OTHER  BUILDINGS  OF  THE  FARM 

Chicken  Houses 

THERE  has  been  such  a  deal  of  controversy,  at  least  in 
the  author's  practice,  over  the  requirements  of  the 
chicken  house,  that  he  has  felt  an  extended  discussion  of  this 
building  had  better  be  left  to  those  who  are  possessed  with 
a  knowledge  of  the  subject,  more  satisf^ying  to  themselves. 
Every  chicken  man  has  decided  notions  of  his  own  as  to  what 
is  necessary  for  the  successful  chicken  house,  and  no  two  men 
seem  to  agree  as  to  what  type  of  structure  will  best  assist  or 
persuade  the  hen  to  lay.  A  shortage  of  eggs  has  so  frequently 
been  assigned  by  the  master  of  the  hens  to  faults  in  the  archi- 
tect's plan  that  this  architect  at  least  has  made  up  his  mind 
— as  has  everyone  else  interested  in  chickens — that  no  one 
really  knows  anything  about  them  but  himself,  and  that  a 
proper  chicken  house  has  never  been  built  and  never  will  be, 
until  it  can  be  carried  out  in  its  entirety  by  himself  and  him- 
self alone. 

What  the  hen  needs  more  than  anything  else  is  fresh  air,  and 
to  be  assured  of  this  it  was  thought  that  she  needed  abnost 
unlimited  range  and  plenty  of  room  in  her  house.  Crowding 
in  the  pen  was  the  worst  possible  condition.  A  writer  in  The 
Country  Gentleman,  some  years  back,  said  that  in  the  coop 
10  sq.  ft.  of  clear  floor  space  per  hen  was  desirable ;  this  be- 
ing exclusive  of  all  passageways  and  floor  space  occupied  by 

380 


EXTERIOR  OF  BROODER  HOUSE 


YARDS  AND  liUOODKK  HOISE;    STOR ACiE  SHED  AT  RIGHT.     CHICKEN' 
HOUSES  FOR  IHAXCIS  LVXDE  STETSOX,  ESQ.,  STERLIXGTOX,  X.  Y. 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  181 

nests,  roosts,  etc.  A  certain  Mr.  Philo,  whose  book  ^  on  this 
subject,  though  somewhat  commercial,  everyone  interested  in 
chickens  ought  to  read,  became  enthusiastic  over  the  idea  of 
rearing  chickens  in  the  smallest  possible  space,  and  advertised 
that  a  successful  egg  fann  could  be  established  on  a  plot  of 
ground  40  ft.  square.  We  cite  this  as  showing  the  veiy  great 
differences  of  opinion  that  may  be  found  with  regard  to  the 
housing  of  the  hen. 

Undoubtedly,  where  space  permits,  the  best  method  of  ar- 
ranging the  chicken  farm  is  to  follow  out  the  idea  knouTi  as  the 
Colony  Plan.  This  is  a  separate  and  usually  movable  house 
large  enough  to  contain  a  cockerel  and  from  six  to  a  dozen 
hens.  On  the  Skylands  Farm  at  Sterlington,  N.  Y.,  the  two 
systems  of  the  general  chicken  house  and  the  colony  house  have 
been  carefully  compared  and  a  decided  preference  has  been 
given  to  the  colony  plan.  The  colony  houses  are  usually  mov- 
able and  located  at  a  distance  from  each  other,  although  this 
is  not  necessary  and  the  individual  houses  may  be  placed  near 
together  and  permanently  located  as  shown  in  plate  facing 
J).  182,  the  fowls  roaming  over  a  dozen  acres  during  the  day  re- 
turn at  evening  each  to  its  own  home.  This  type  of  house 
should  invariably  be  used  for  breeding  purposes,  as  the  birds, 
unconfined  and  left  to  roam  about  at  wiU,  are  more  hardy  on 
that  account.  The  records  at  Skylands  show  that  they  also 
lay  better.  Fig,  62  shows  a  drawing  of  the  colony  house 
used  there. 

This  is  a  small  building,  4x6  ft.,  which  will  house  one  cockerel 
and  six  hens.  It  is  of  two  stories,  the  roosts  and  nests  being 
above.  The  whole  advantage  of  this  type  of  structure  lies  in 
the  ventilation.    At  the  bottom  of  each  long  side  there  is  an 

1  See  list  at  end  of  this  subdivision  of  the  chapter. 


182 


MODERN   FAEM   BUILDINGS 


opening  6x1  ft.,  10  in,  which  can  be  partially  or  entirely  closed, 
either  with  a  solid  wooden  shutter  or  a  sliding  muslin  screen. 
This  opening  regulates  the  admission  of  fresh  air  in  a  very 


Door    TO   OPEN 
/    Wlfi-t  ^CattN    DtLOK    \ 


DOOE.  TO  OPtr» 
VllILt     BELOW 


^X♦X<X^-^■ 


JjIDE.    tLLVATION 


^  nnoD  *i  -/ 


■  DOOC-S- 


E00iT5 


DOOE.-5    WIEE  SCLOW 


f 


PLAM 


DOOC^ 


T    in^ 


DOOB. 


^LCTION 


LUD   LLtl/ATION 


FIG.    62— PLAN  OF   COLONY   HOUSE   USED   AT   SKYLANDS   FARM,    STERLINGTON,    N.   T. 


flexible  manner.  One  side  of  the  roof  is  constructed  to  raise 
in  two  sections,  and  the  opening  so  made  is  also  arranged  to  be 
partially  or  entirely  closed  with  a  sliding  muslin  screen.  Some 
care  must  be  used  in  regulating  the  ventilation  in  winter,  but 
this  method  of  housing  is  admirable  in  providing  the  birds 


CUl.O.W  Hot  M,.s  i'iAiM.Wi.S  LL\     I.IHAII.U 


INTERIOR  OF  BROODER  HOUSE— THE  USUAL  TYPE 


OTHER   BUILDINGS 


183 


with  shelter  without  deprivmg  them  of  fresh  air.  The 
chicken  sleeps  much  more  than  man — in  the  winter  time  twelve 
hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  so  that  healthful  surroundings 
during  sleep  are  most  important  for  the  best  condition  of  the 
bird. 

The  plan  shown  in  Fig.  63  is  a  type  of  chicken  house  which 
has  many  advocates.  It  is  called  the  '  *  Open  Front, ' '  from  the 
fact  that  the  large  opening,  which  should  face  the  south,  is 


*.DOC 


HOOSTJ 
OVER. 


DOOB.  I  bOAtO 

nOHT  LLLVATION 


PLAN 


^IDt   LLLI/ATION 


FIG.  63 — PLAN  OF  OPEN  FRONT  CHICKEN  HOUSE 


kept  open  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  To  modify  this  some- 
what in  extreme  weather,  a  muslin  screen  is  put  in  the  open- 
ing, although  this  is  not  at  all  necessary  according  to  the  en- 
thusiast for  this  type  of  house.  The  high  windows  in  the  sides 
are  for  summer  ventilation  and  should  be  left  open  all  sum- 
mer. There  is  no  doubt  that  the  building  would  be  cooler  if 
portions  of  the  roof  could  be  raised  in  the  same  manner  as 
showTi  in  Fig.  62. 

Where  space  does  not  permit  the  Colony  Plan,  and  the 
chicken  fami  must  be  restricted  and  the  birds  confined,  the 


184         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

usual  chicken  house  is  a  long  building,  divided  into  separate 
pens,  these  pens  being  about  8x12  ft.,  in  which  are  kept  from 
20  to  25  birds.  This  allows  4  or  5  sq.  ft.  of  floor  space  per  bird. 
The  best  traditions — or  superstitions — face  this  building  to  the 
south.  The  south  front  is  full  of  wmdows  reaching  nearly  to 
the  floor,  so  that  as  much  sun  as  possible  may  fall  upon  the 
pen  floor.  A  passageway  from  which  the  pens  are  entered  is 
placed  at  the  north,  and  the  north  wall  has  few  if  any  openings 
in  it,  so  that  it  may  afford  perfect  protection  in  winter.  For 
a  winter  house  only,  this  may  do  very  well,  but  for  the  sum- 
mer a  more  micomfortable  building  could  scarcely  be  designed. 
There  is  no  possibility  of  ventilating  it,  or  of  allowing  a  cool- 
ing draught  of  air  to  blow  through  it.  As  has  been  pointed 
out  before,  the  important  thing,  in  our  climate  at  least,  is  to 
provide  a  cool  building  in  summer.  It  is  a  simple  matter  to 
get  heat  in  winter,  but  it  is  a  very  difficult  one  to  devise  a  build- 
ing which  will  be  cool  on  a  warm  day.  A  much  better  disposi- 
tion of  the  chicken  house  would  be  to  run  it  north  and  south, 
as  advocated  for  the  cow  bam,  with  large  windows  and  doors 
on  both  sides  and  with  chicken  yards  on  each  side.  Then  it 
would  be  possible  to  retain  one  yard  and  plant  it  with  suitable 
crops  while  the  other  one  was  in  use.  To  have  two  chicken 
yards  that  are  interchangeable  is  a  great  advantage,  as  the  con- 
tinual use  of  one  causes  it  to  become  foul  and  infected  with  the 
germs  that  are  harmful  to  chicken  life.  This  plan,  however, 
has  one  disadvantage,  as  it  does  away  with  the  passageway  be- 
hind the  pens,  although  the  only  use  of  this  is  to  allow  the 
owner  an  easy  inspection  of  his  fowl.  It  is  not  at  all  neces- 
sary however,  for  the  care  of  the  birds  themselves,  and  apart 
from  the  owner's  comfort,  this  additional  space  had  better  be 
given  over  to  the  flock.    What  is  of  great  importance  for  the 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  185 

chicken  house  is  a  dry  location.  Dampness  must  be  avoided, 
not  only  in  the  building  but  out  of  it,  and  elevated  and  well 
drained  ground  for  the  site  of  the  chicken  house  is  of  prime 
importance. 

In  spite  of  the  general  use  of  concrete  for  the  floor,  this  is 
not  desirable  except  as  a  means  of  keeping  out  the  rats.  The 
floor  of  the  pen  itself  is  best  of  wood,  elevated  above  the  con- 
crete floor,  18  in.  or  2  ft.  This  gives  a  circulation  of  air  be- 
neath the  pen  and  affords  sufficient  space  to  allow  a  dog  to 
catch  any  rat  seeking  shelter  there.  Such  floors  are  drier 
than  any  other  type. 

All  the  doors  in  the  pens  and  yards  should  be  of  the  double- 
swing  variety,  the  same  hinge  being  used  as  that  for  a  butler's 
pantry  door;  this  hinge  permits  the  door  to  be  pushed  open 
from  either  side  and  when  released  to  immediately  swing  back 
into  position.  Doors  2  ft.  wide  and  6  ft.  high  are  large  enough 
for  the  average  problem.  The  windows  should  be  numerous 
on  all  sides,  and  blinds,  after  the  manner  prescribed  for  the 
cow  barn,  are  desirable  during  the  summer.  The  protection 
of  the  fowl  in  winter  by  dropping  a  curtain  enclosing  the 
roosts  is  a  good  thing,  but  a  little  heat  throughout  the  entire 
house  is  probably  better,  though  this  should  mean  more  venti- 
lation, not  less.  In  the  killing-room  a  dozen  small  coops  are 
placed  in  which  to  confine  the  chickens  preparatory  to  that 
operation.  All  roosts,  nests,  etc.,  should  be  removable  for  easy 
cleaning.  All  dust  projections  should  be  eliminated,  and  the 
old-fashioned  whitewash  for  interior  finish  is  as  good  as  any- 
thing. Fig.  64  shows  the  j^lans  of  a  chicken  house  that  was 
designed  to  meet,  if  possible,  all  objections.  Skylights  were 
put  in  the  southern  slope  of  the  roof  to  give  additional  sun- 
shine in  the  pens  in  the  winter  and  also  to  afford  better  venti- 


> 
O 
O 

a 


M 
O 

n 


a 

IS 

o 

M 

u 


O 

EH 


CD 
O 

n 

M 
o 


[186] 


OTHER   BUILDINGS 


187 


lation  at  all  times.  In  the  front  of  each  pen  is  a  door  2  ft. 
4  in.  wide,  the  remaining  space  being  taken  up  by  a  large 
window;  the  sash,  divided  in  the  center,  is  arranged  to  open 
in  half  or  entire.  By  this  means  the  chicken  house  may  be 
readily  converted  into  the  "Open  Front"  type — from  all  ac- 
counts a  very  good  one.  By  closing  all  the  windows  and  doors^ 
it  may  be  made  at  once  into  the  tightest  kind  of  a  "Tight 
Front"  type — from  all  accounts  a  very  bad  one  but  still  de- 


ne. 65— ELEVATION  OP  PEN  IN  PASSAGEWAY 

sired  by  some.  The  north  wall  is  well  ventilated  by  good- 
sized  windows,  which  should  be  left  open  thi'oughout  the  sum- 
mer, though  they  seldom  are.  The  usual  manner  of  arrang- 
ing the  roosts  and  nests  is  shown  in  Figs.  65  and  66,  the 
nests  and  the  dropping-boards  being  accessible  from  the 
passageway.  Plate  facing  p.  188  shows  a  photograph  of  the 
interior. 


]88 


MODEEN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


For  the  small  plant  the  commercial  outdoor  brooder  is  the 
best.  For  the  larger  scheme  the  brooder  building  is  a  satis- 
factory structure,  and  the  plan  shown  in  Fig.  64  illustrates  the 
usual  type.  The  important  thing  in  the  brooder  house  is  to 
separate  completely  the  cellar  for  the  incubators  from  the 
cellar  in  which  is  placed  the  boiler.  It  is  impossible  to  pre- 
vent the  coal  gas  escaping  from  the  boiler  and  the  fumes  of 


jktlUmx 


PERCnti     NE5T3 
CHOPPING-    BO* K.DJ 
«ND    JTtPJ    TO  Bt 


SttADt. 


FIG.   66— SECTION  THROUGH  CHICKEN   HOUSE   SHOWING  NESTS,    ETC. 


imperfect  combustion  are  harmful  to  the  hatching  egg.  An 
independent,  well-ventilated  cellar,  which  shall  have  no  en- 
trance except  through  the  outside  air,  must  be  provided  for 
the  incubators.  In  the  plan.  Fig.  64,  this  cellar  is  under  the 
end  of  the  building.  The  store  room  is  a  very  desirable  room 
to  be  had  in  connection  with  either  the  chicken  or  brooder 
house.     In    connection   with    the    chicken    houses    at    Sky- 


A   .MANURE   PIT   TO   WHICH   A    LARGE   EN'CLOSURE   WAS    ADDED   FOR 

THE  STORAGE  OF  LEAVES,  USEFUL  TO  THE  GARDENER  IN  VARIOUS 

WAYS.     SKVLANDS   FARM 


THE  INTERIOR  OF  A  CHICKEN  IIOl'SE.     THE  LARGE  WINDOWS   FOLD 
IN  THE  CENTER  AND  ARE  HOOKED  UP  AGAINST  THE  CEILING 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  189 

lands,  a  separate  storage  shed  lias  been  provided.  For  the 
chicken  farm  a  good-sized  storage  place  is  necessary  for  out- 
door brooders  and  hovers  which  are  out  of  season,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  extra  coops  and  shipping-boxes  and  that  inevitable  ac- 
cumulation of  things  which  though  hardly  fit  for  use  seem 
yet  too  valuable  to  be  thi-own  away. 

In  the  above  very  brief  reference  to  chicken  houses,  it  is 
probable  that  the  enthusiast  will  not  find  sufficient  data  "s\dth 
which  even  to  disagree.  If  he  is  resolved  to  have  the  onlv 
perfect  chicken  plant  in  existence  he  will  probably  wish  to 
read  much  more  than  has  been  written  here ;  and  happily  there 
is  much  more  to  be  read,  and  the  following  volumes  are  sug- 
gested for  his  approval,  all  of  which  are  exhaustive,  and  some 
exhausting,  in  their  treatment  of  the  subject: 

The  Home  Poultry  Book,  E.  I.  Farrington. — McBride,  Nasi 
dCo. 

The  Beginner  in  Poultry,  C.  S.  Yalentme. — Macmillan. 

The  Practical  Poultry  Keeper,  Lewis  Wright. — Cassell  &  Co. 

The  Principles  and  Practice  of  Poultry  Culture,  John  H. 
Robinson. — Ginn  &  Co. 

American  Poultry  Culture,  R.  B.  Sando. — A.  C.  McClurg. 

Poultry  and  Profit,  W.  W.  Broomliead.— Cosse/Z  &  Co. 

Poultry  Keeping,  Edward  BrowTi,  F.L.S. — Edivard  Arnold, 
London. 

The  Poultry  Book,  Harrison "VYeir. — DoiiUedaij,  Page  &  Co. 

The  New  Egg  Farm,  H.  H.  Stoddard. — Orange  Judd  Co., 
1907. 

Philo  System  of  Progressive  Poultry  Keeping,  E.  W. 
Philo.— ^.  R.  Philo,  Elniira,  N.  Y. 

Open  Air  Poultry  Houses  for  All  Climates,  Prince  T. 
"Woods,  M.D. — American  Poultry  Journal  Puhlisliing  Co. 


190 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


Sheepfold 

Although  a  number  of  the  jilans  of  farm  barns  already  il- 
lustrated have  included  quarters  for  the  sheep,  yet  it  is  better 
to  keep  sheep  at  a  distance  from  the  farmyard,  if  the  best 
results  of  breeding  and  rearing  them  are  to  be  obtained.    The 


WE.IGHT- 


G.ATE    TO    SLIDE    UP 


1  'y^' 


^7^ 


/L 


WOOD     PINS 


-A'K  1%.' 


ROUND  A,LL   tDGtS 


b. 


FIG.  67— DETAIL  OF  SLIDING  GATE  IN  SHEEP  PEN  DOOR 

one  vital  thing  in  the  sheep  barn  is  ventilation,  and  any  barn 
which  does  not  provide  this  will  fail. 

While  many  bams  of  practical  sheep  breeders  are  arranged 
to  store  the  hay  overhead,  yet  a  better  method  is  to  keep  the 
feed  separated  from  the  animals,  just  as  was  advocated  for 
the  cow  barn,  and  the  same  reasons  for  this  prevail  here  as 
there.  A  general  and  a  separate  storage  place  for  feed  is  de- 
sirable and  this  should  include  a  cellar  for  roots. 


EXTRAN'CE  TO  SHKPHKKDS  (QUARTERS 


SHEEPFOLD  FOR  FRANCIS  LYNDE  STETSON,  ESQ.,  STERLINGTON,  N.  Y. 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  191 

The  usual  practice  is  to  ruu  the  sheep  shed  east  and  west, 
with  the  long  sides  facing  the  north  and  south ;  the  southern 
elevation  having  as  many  doors  as  are  jjossible.  There  are  two 
ways  of  arranging  this  door:  the  usual  one  is  similar  to  the 
Dutch  door,  the  lower  part  in  two  folds,  each  opening  out,  and 
the  upper  part  in  one  fold,  opening  in  and  up  against  the  roof 
or  ceiling.  In  warm  weather  the  upper  part  may  be  open 
while  the  lower  is  closed,  thereby  controlling  the  egress  of  the 
flock.  The  other  way  is  to  provide  a  large  sliding  door  for  the 
entire  opening  and  in  addition  there  is  hung  between  the  jambs 
a  slatted  gate  which  slides  up  and  down  (Fig.  67).  This  gate, 
balanced  by  weights,  operates  very  easily.  The  large  door 
being  opened,  the  gate  is  left  at  the  bottom  of  the  opening,  the 
slats  allowing  better  ventilation  than  the  solid  doors ;  upon  the 
sheep  going  out,  the  slatted  door  is  raised  and  the  flock  passes 
beneath  it.  In  warmer  climates,  such  as  our  own,  the  latter 
is  the  better  type  of  door,  but  where  long  winters  and  blizzards 
are  usual,  the  barn  can  be  better  ventilated  in  extreme  weather 
with  the  Dutch  door.  The  lower  half  of  this  door  being  solid, 
it  affords  greater  protection ;  though  if  the  sliding  gate,  usu- 
ally made  of  slats,  were  built  solid,  it  would  be  equally  ef- 
fective. The  sliding  door  is  always  more  convenient  than  the 
swinging  door  and  is  especially  recommended  in  the  sheep- 
fold.  These  doors  should  never  be  less  than  6  ft.  in  width  and 
can  be  increased  to  7  ft.  or  even  8  ft.  to  advantage.  Sheep 
crowd  one  another  on  going  in  and  out  of  the  building,  and 
the  widest  possible  opening  is  desirable.  The  doors  just  de- 
scribed occur  in  the  south  front  of  the  sheepfold.  It  is  just 
as  important  for  proper  ventilation  to  have  suitable  openings 
at  the  north,  where  long  batten  shutters,  coming  within  3  ft. 
of  the  floor,  should  be  aiTanged.    These  are  necessary  for 


192 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


summer  ventilation  and  for  the  warmer  days  of  winter.  The 
practice  of  leaving  a  north  wall  without  openings  for  protec- 
tion in  winter  is  bad ;  such  an  arrangement  may  be  well  enough 
during  a  blizzard,  but  a  sheep  barn  so  designed  will  be  a  poor 
one  in  any  but  the  most  extreme  cold. 
Equal  in  importance  to  ventilation  is  the  drjTiess  of  the 


«" 


^^J 


r^ 


HINGED 
-SLAT 
FRAMES 


BOUTS 


SIDE   ELEVATION 


HIMQE.D    &L.AT 
F=-R6.MES    TO 
DROP    BACK. 
AGAINST  SIDES 

FOR    FEED 
IW 


CROSS     SECTION! 


END    ELEVATION 


FIG. 


68. — DETAIL    OF    SHEEP    FEEDINGR.\CK    RECOMMENDED    AS    MOST   ECONOMICAL 

OF  PEED 


floor.  Sheep  do  best  standing  on  the  natural  earth,  but  this 
must  be  invariably  kept  dry,  and  consequently  the  sheepfold 
should  be  located  only  on  high  ground  or  on  such  as  can  be 
effectively  drained.  To  make  the  floor  dry  beyond  question, 
it  is  well  to  fill  in  the  building  with  a  foot  or  so  of  broken  stone 
and  then  to  lay  8  or  10  in.  of  earth  upon  this. 


OTHER   BUILDINGS 


193 


The  best  method  of  dividing  the  barn  into  pens  is  by  the 
feeding-racks,  which  are  always  made  movable.  The  type  of 
feeding-rack  which  allows  the  sheep  to  put  its  head  between 
wide  slats  and  eat  the  hay  (Fig.  68)  is  preferable  to  any 
other.  The  usual  narrow  slatted  rack  (Fig.  69)  causes  the 
sheep  to  pull  the  hay  out  of  the  rack  before  it  is  eaten,  and 
much  of  it  is  trampled  under  foot  and  thereby  wasted. 

Many  small  pens  for  lambing  ewes  should  be  provided ;  these 


ROUND  AU. 
EOGC.S  AND 
COBNE.R3 


FIG.  69— DETAIL  OP  USUAL  TYPE  OF  FEEDING  BACKS 


need  not  be  over  4x5  ft.  in  size,  and  are  usually  arranged  so 
that  they  may  be  removed  and  stored  away  after  the  lambing 
season  has  passed  by  (Fig.  70).  These  pens  should  always 
be  placed  in  a  room  which  can  be  artificially  heated.  This  is 
the  only  heat  necessary  in  the  sheepfold,  except  in  the  shep- 
herd's rooms,  for  which  warmth  should  always  be  provided, 
as  his  presence  is  very  necessary  during  the  lambing  season, 
when  he  not  only  officiates  as  attendant  and  head  nurse,  but 
frequently  as  a  foster  mother  as  weU;  for  it  sometimes  hap- 
pens that  a  lamb  left  an  orphan  at  birth  must  be  brought  up 
on  the  bottle  by  the  shepherd  himself. 

Fresh  water  should  be  had  at  all  times  at  the  sheep  pen, 
and  if  the  water  supply  is  sufficient  to  afford  continuous  run- 
ning water,  ideal  conditions  have  been  obtained.     Sheep  are 


194         MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

particularly  sensitive  with  regard  to  water  and  quickly  detect 
any  foulness  in  it.  Troughs  should  be  arranged  so  that  the 
sheep  may  drink  at  any  time.  In  computing  the  size  of  the 
sheep  cote  allow  20  sq.  ft.  for  each  ewe,  outside  of  all  passage- 


fcd     NWALL     LINE 


ALL    CORNERS     ROUNDED. 
ALL     SECTIONS     AKJ  D     POSTS 
TO    BE    BEMOVA&LC.  . 


I I    .    I 


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FIG.    70 — DETAIL    SHOWING    REMOVABLE    LAMBING    PEN    PARTITIONS 

ways.  Fig.  71  gives  the  plan  of  the  sheepfold  at  Sterlington, 
N.  Y.,  in  which  all  the  above  suggestions  have  been  incor- 
porated and  which  will  explain  and  amplify  them. 


jncABraa 

LilltMIC  IH 


-J      I  3 — C 


.snccf     roLD 


FIG.  71~PLAN  OF  SHEEPFOLD  AT  STERLINGTON,  N.  Y.,  FOR  FRANCIS  LYNDE  STETSON, 

ESQ. 


THE  XOKTH  WALL 


I>r   i;f,r.;   l,i    H.irlo   I,    I'iskc 

THE  SOUTH   WALL.     THERE   ARE   NO  RUNS   HERE,  THE   PIGS   GOING 
DIRECTLY  INTO  THE  MANURE  PIT.    THE  PIGGERY,  SKYLANDS  FARM, 

STERLINGTON,  N.  Y. 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  195 

Manure  Pit  and  Piggeey 

The  author  has  not  been  as  successful  as  he  could  wish  in 
inducing  the  gentleman  farmer  to  believe  that  in  his  piggery 
he  has  architectural  possibilities  of  which  advantage  should  be 
taken.  The  owner,  when  he  comes  to  consider  his  pigs,  is 
usually  content  to  treat  them  as  pigs,  and  to  house  them  ac- 
cordingly. Still,  the  piggery  may  show  some  taste  in  its  de- 
sign, and,  like  the  other  buildings  of  the  farm,  need  not  be 
ugly  in  order  to  be  practical.  As  the  practical  phase  of  the 
problem  is  the  important  one  we  wiU  commence  there  and 
leave  the  artistic  side  to  that  fortunate  man  who  finds  pleasure 
in  considering  the  appearance  of  even  the  humblest  of  the  farm 
buildings. 

A  common  disi^osition  is  to  locate  the  piggery  adjoining  the 
manure  pit,  where  the  pigs,  rooting  in  the  maniu'e,  work  it  up 
and  hasten  its  rotting.  Such  treatment  of  the  manure  pro- 
duces excellent  results  in  preparing  it  for  the  land,  and  on 
large  estates  such  a  combination  of  pit  and  piggery  is  very 
desirable.  To  properly  contain  the  manure  nothing  more  is 
needed  than  a  concrete  platform  surroimded  by  a  waU.  It 
is  better  without  a  roof ;  and,  if  the  site  permits  the  drawing 
off  of  the  liquids  from  a  lower  level  into  a  sprinkling-cart,  aU 
the  benefits  of  a  manure  pit  have  been  obtained.  Some  farmers 
prefer  a  roof  over  the  manure,  and  if  this  is  j^rovided,  a  hose 
outlet  for  wetting  it  down  must  also  be  arranged.  Ordinarily, 
the  raiu  will  not  be  more  than  is  good  for  the  mamu-e ;  but  in 
an  unusually  wet  season  the  uncovered  manure  pit  may  hold 
too  much  water,  in  which  case  the  drawing  off  of  it  into  a  cart 
is  an  advantage,  and  the  liquid  so  obtained  is  more  valuable 
than  the  manure  itself  for  fertilization.    Plate  facing  p.  188 


196 


MODEEN   FAEM   BUILDINGS 


shows  the  usual  method  of  constructing  the  manure  pit  when 
this  is  roofed  over.  The  sides,  being  of  slats  for  the  purpose 
of  ventilation,  also  serve  as  a  screen. 

We  will  now  leave  the  manure  pit  and  return  to  the  pig- 
geiy ;  and  first  of  all  to  that  part  of  it  which  is  the  most  im- 
portant, as  it  is  the  most  apijarent,  namely,  its  ventilation. 
Vent  ducts  are  a  help,  but  they  have  to  be  niunerous,  and  so 
large  that  it  is  better  to  rely  on  openings  in  the  side  walls 
front  and  back  for  the  taking  off  of  odors.    These  openings — 


FIG.  72— PLAN  OP  PIGGERY  AT  GREENWICH,  CONN.,  FOR  DR.  J.  CLIFTON 

EDGAR 

windows  in  the  front  and  shutters  in  the  back — ought  to  be 
as  nimierous  as  possible,  and  in  the  sununertime  should  be 
left  open  night  and  day. 

Fig.  72  shows  a  usual  plan  for  the  piggery,  in  which  large 
ventilating  ducts  are  installed.  As  they  were  operated,  these 
were  not  sufficient  to  take  off  the  odors.  Plate  facing  p.  195 
shows  a  photograph  of  the  north  and  south  walls  of  a 
piggery,  both  walls  with  a  continuous  row  of  openings.  This 
building  is  practically  free  from  odor  and  this  is  the  only 
way  to  really  ventilate  the  piggery. 

The  piggery  is  usually  faced  south  with  the  passageway  at 
the  north.     The  pens  may  vary  in  size,  8x10  ft.  being  a  fair 


OTHER   BUILDINGS 


197 


average,  and  one  or  more  larger  pens,  10x12  ft.,  should  be  pro- 
vided for  a  sow  and  her  litter.  Fig.  73  shows  the  floor  of  the 
pen  which  may  well  be  made  of  concrete  provided  that  a  por- 
tion of  it,  where  the  animal  sleeps,  has  a  wood  covering.  The 
concrete  floor  is  better  left  in  front  of  the  feeding-trough, 


HI 


Qi 


If" 


rr 


■*'-o- 


!;•  TROUGH 


l-l°'. 


-4^ 


PIG     PE.N 

CONCRtTt    P1.00R. 


MH 


f o    I       rOL  P  GGLRY 


,  CONCRETE 


r^^ 


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PIG     PEN 

CONCPVC.TE.   ruooK 


m 


wpc>- 

f. 

FLboR 


=^ 


=^ 


PITCH   FLOOR 
TO    DOOR 


n 


^ 


1/4    PtP£    RAIL 

POR    PROTECT  I OM 

or  SMALL    PkSS 


Pitch    floor. 

TO  DOOR 


.^' 


'/is' 


IN 


TWO 
«T5 


OOOR    TO 
YARD 


DOOR  TO 
YARD 


FIG.  73— DETAIL  OP  PEN  FLOOR  SHOWING  PIPING  IN  FARROWING  PENS 


where  the  hosing  out  of  the  trough  is  likely  to  wash  the  ad- 
jacent floor,  A  beU  trap  should  never  be  placed  in  the  pen 
floor,  as  this  becomes  foul  beyond  description.  The  pen  should 
drain  to  the  outside  through  the  pen  door  and  then  into  a 
continuous  gutter,  rim  the  length  of  the  piggery.  Where  the 
piggery  connects  immediately  with  the  manure  pit,  the  pens 
,.need  drain  only  through  the  door  and  then  into  the  manure 


198 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


pit.  Care  should  be  taken  to  locate  the  piggery  on  high,  well- 
drained  ground,  so  that  a  dry  building  may  at  all  times  be  as- 
sured. A  bell  trap  in  the  passageway  is  necessary,  though  as 
just  pointed  out,  one  must  never  be  put  inside  the  pen. 

A  very  necessary  thing  in  the  farrowing  pens  is  a  2-in.  pipe 
railing  10  in.  out  from  the  side  walls  and  the  same  height  above 
the  floor;  this  prevents  the  sow  from  roUing  over  on  one  of 
her  progeny  and  killing  it.    The  pipe  rail  keeps  her  away  from 


SWINQiNQ 
DOOR.   _   ///I      Ul 


BOUTS 


SECTION  ATTKOUQH 

PIG.    74— SECTION    THROUGH    FEED- 
ING TE0DGH3 


the  wall  and  gives  the  little  one  a  space  through  which  he  may 
escape.  The  pen  partition  walls  are  best  made  of  concrete, 
troweled  to  a  hard  smooth  finish.  The  feeding-troughs  are 
made  as  shown  in  Fig.  74.  A  door  hmig  at  the  top  and  swing- 
ing over  the  trough,  makes  it  possible  to  separate  the  animal 
from  the  feed  while  it  is  being  prepared.  "When  the  meal  is 
ready  the  door  is  swung  to  the  outside  of  the  trough,  when 
the  trough  itself  comes  within  the  pen. 
It  is  curious  to  note  that  in  an  old  volimie  on  farm  buildings, 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  199 

published  in  1833/  which  the  author  picked  up  in  a  second- 
hand book  store  in  Oxford,  the  pig  trough  is  shown  arranged 
in  just  this  manner.  The  door  from  the  pen  to  the  yard  is 
frequently  hung  at  the  top  in  the  same  fashion,  and,  to  quote 
from  the  volume  of  1833,  its  advantages  are  as  follows : 

"The  use  of  the  swing  door,  which  is  nothing  more  than  a 
frame  of  boards  suspended  from  a  rail,  the  ends  of  which  move 
in  sockets  freely  either  way  between  the  jambs  of  the  door, 
is  to  prevent  the  door  from  ever  being  left  open  in  severe 
weather.  When  the  pig  wishes  to  go  out,  he  soon  learns  to 
push  it  before  him;  and  the  same  when  he  wishes  to  return." 

This  method  is  still  in  use  and  remains  an  entirely  satis- 
factory one. 

In  connection  with  the  piggery  there  should  be  a  small  feed 
room  with  a  chimney.  A  cooker  is  always  necessary,  and  the 
best  method  of  cooking  is  with  live  steam.  As  in  the  cow  bam, 
the  steam  may  be  used  also  in  washing  out  the  troughs  and 
pens.  Only  with  live  steam  can  real  cleanliness  be  assured. 
In  the  selection  of  materials,  concrete  is  the  best;  wood  the 
least  desirable.  Though  the  wooden  floor  in  a  portion  of  the 
pen  is  advisable,  yet  it  should  always  be  installed  so  as  to  be 
readily  removed  and  must  be  renewed  before,  not  after,  it  be- 
comes foul.  With  the  single  row  of  pens,  the  best  exposure 
for  the  piggery  is  with  its  long  axis  east  and  west.  With  the 
double  row  of  pens,  its  long  axis  is  better  north  and  south,  so 
that  the  yards  may  have  an  easterly  and  westerly  exposure. 

Fig.  75  shows  a  very  interesting  piggery,  and  a  type  that 
should  be  generally  adopted.    It  was  built  at  Islip  and  de- 

1  Louden's  Encyclopedia  of  "Cottage,  Farm  and  Villa  Architecture  and  Furniture," 
London,  1833,  a  volume  of  some  1138  pages.  It  contains  many  designs  of  "Model  Farm- 
eries," some  of  which  quite  surpass  in  extent  any  of  those  set  forth  here. 


200 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


signed  by  Mr,  H,  T.  Peters.  Its  great  advantage  over  the 
usual  piggery  is  in  the  location  of  the  feeding-troughs,  which 
are  in  the  yards  and  not  in  the  pens.  The  foulness  of  the 
odors  in  a  piggery  comes  very  largely  from  the  feed;  taking 
this  out  of  the  building  is  of  the  greatest  importance,  and 


PIG.  75— PLAN  OP  PIGGERY  AT  ISLIP,  L.  I. 


with  the  feed  trough  in  the  yard  the  pens  themselves  can  be 
kept  in  a  much  more  sanitary  condition.  The  trough  is  con- 
tinuous— another  advantage  in  its  cleanliness,  for  it  is  readily 
hosed  dow^n  and  washed  out.  The  plate  facing  p.  174  shows  a 
photograph  of  the  exterior  which  will  explain  the  plan  more 
clearly.    It  is  an  admirable  arrangement. 

Root  Cellar 

Where  roots  are  intended  to  be  used  as  feed,  it  is  usual 
— as  it  is  more  convenient — to  put  them  below  the  feed  room, 
where  they  may  be  readily  obtained  and  prepared.  As  pre- 
viously pointed  out,  such  root  cellars  are  likely  to  freeze  in 
extreme  cold  weather,  and  some  method  for  heating  them  un- 
der such  conditions  should  be  provided.  The  best  way  to  do 
this  is  to  build  a  chimney  containing  a  large  flue,  16x20  in., 
which  does  service  as  a  ventilating  flue  when  not  in  use  as  a 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  201 

chimney.  Ventilation  for  the  root  cellar  is  as  important  in 
preventing  undesirable  conditions  as  ventilation  for  the  cow 
bam  or  horse  stable.  Roots  mold  and  spoil  very  quickly  if 
deprived  of  a  circulation  of  air,  so  that  the  root  cellar  must 
be  so  ventilated  as  to  insure  a  circulation  of  air  throughout 
every  part  of  it.  The  volume  of  fresh  air  here  need  not  ap- 
proach in  extent  that  required  by  the  buildings  for  housing 
the  animals.  If  the  ventilation  is  arranged  so  that  the  air 
will  come  in  at  the  extreme  end  and  be  taken  out  at  the  other, 
it  will  provide  aU  that  is  necessary. 

There  seems  to  be  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  whether  the 
floor  is  better  of  earth  or  concrete.  Some  farmers  prefer 
the  latter,  for  its  possibilities  of  cleanliness,  while  others  will 
tolerate  nothing  for  the  storage  of  roots  but  the  soil  in  which 
they  are  grown.  The  character  of  the  site  and  the  position  of 
the  cellar  with  respect  to  it  are  important  factors.  A  dry 
cellar  must  be  assured  at  all  times,  and  good  drainage  and  a 
sandy  soil  are  the  necessary  natural  conditions.  If  such  con- 
ditions prevail,  the  root  cellar  is  best  without  a  concrete  floor. 
Where  other  considerations  place  the  farm  buildings  on  low 
ground,  every  precaution  should  be  taken  to  provide  a  dry 
cellar — waterproofed  floors  and  walls  and  careful  drainage  of 
the  foimdation.  After  a  dry  place  has  been  provided,  sand 
may  be  put  in  over  the  concrete  floor. 

The  difficulty  of  the  root  cellar  under  the  feed  room  is  that 
it  frequently  thrusts  the  cellar  so  deep  in  the  ground  that  in 
some  localities  it  is  difficult  to  keep  it  dry.  To  obviate  this 
the  author  has  tried  several  times  to  construct  a  root  cellar 
above  ground,  forming  the  walls  of  three  thicknesses  of  build- 
ing tile  or  of  studding,  and  filling  the  spaces  between  with 
sawdust   or  granulated  cork.     This   construction  has  been 


202 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


entirely  successful  in  keeping  the  contents  from  freezing, 
but  only  when  this  room  has  been  placed  in  the  farm 
building  (Fig.  36).  For  the  isolated  root  cellar  the  only  sat- 
isfactory one  is  found  by  going  into  the  side  of  a  bank 
and  constructing   a   chamber  whose   top   as   well   as   sides 


PUVW 


LLLVATION  • 

FIG.  76— PLAN  OF  ROOT  CELLAR 


are  completely  covered  by  the  earth.  (Fig.  76.)  The 
ground  above  the  top  should  be  at  least  3  ft.  deep ;  the  entrance 
— the  one  side  exposed  to  the  air — had  best  face  south,  though 
its  exposure  may  incline  to  the  east  or  west  but  never  to  the 
north.  Ventilation  must  be  provided,  which  can  be  arranged 
by  an  inlet  in  the  door  and  a  flue  carried  up  above  the  ground 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  203 

■ c 

at  the  back.     Though  this  is  a  perfect  type  of  root  cellar,  it  is 

not  automatic  with  all  degrees  of  temperature,  and  some  reg- 
ulation of  the  ventilation  is  necessary  in  extreme  weather  con- 
ditions. A  concrete  roof,  which  must  drain  as  shown,  is  the 
best.  In  fact  such  a  structure  is  practically  indestructible  and 
should  serve  its  purpose  as  long  as  it  is  put  to  its  use. 

Ice  Houses 

After  many  experiments  in  building  ice  houses  of  various 
materials  and  placing  them  in  various  stages  between  entirely 
above  and  entirely  below  ground,  it  has  been  pretty  well  dem- 
onstrated that  the  structure  of  wood,  placed  if  possible  in  the 
shade  and  constructed  as  shown  in  Fig.  77,  serves  its  purpose 
better  than  any  other  type  of  construction.  The  plan  as 
drawn  calls  for  a  building  of  6-in.  studs,  sheathed  on  both  sides 
and  filled  between  with  sawdust.  Upon  the  outside  sheathing 
and  placed  vertically,  are  2x4-in.  studs,  24  in.  apart,  also 
sheathed  or  clapboarded  and  forming  a  4-in.  air  space  around 
the  entire  building.  This  space,  left  open  at  the  bottom  and 
at  the  top,  allows  the  air  as  it  becomes  heated  by  the  rays  of 
the  sun  to  pass  up  and  out.  A  ceiling  is  formed  at  the  level 
of  the  tie  beams,  insulated  with  sawdust  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  side  waU.  It  is  necessary  to  ventilate  the  space  between 
the  ceiling  and  the  roof,  which  in  small  houses  (under  200 
tons)  is  adequately  done  by  louvers  at  each  end.  In  larger 
houses  an  additional  ventilator — or  two  ventilators — on  the 
roof  is  desirable.  The  earth  itself  forms  the  best  floor,  al- 
though it  should  be  supplemented  by  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches 
of  sawdust,  upon  which  the  ice  is  laid.  The  sawdust  and  the 
earth  will  absorb  whatever  water  may  result  from  melting  ice. 
A  beU  trap  should  never  be  put  in  the  floor,  as  this  aUows  the 


204 


MODERN   FARM   BUILDINGS 


air  to  reach  the  ice  and  invariably  causes  it  to  melt  faster  at 
that  point.  The  nearer  the  mass  of  ice  intended  to  be  stored 
approaches  a  cube,  the  better  it  vnR  keep.  With  the  construc- 
tion described  above,  the  ice  may  be  put  directly  against  the 


4'x,s'  TO 
PR.OJLCT 
3'-0" 


VERTICAL 
SECTION 

I  Z.  3  FT. 


E.ND     ELEVATION 

O  £         4-         C  S         |0  FT. 

^ — »    I    t   I    ^   >   t   I"  t    i 


MOVABLE     SLATS 


m 


^^ 


BATTE-N 
DOOR 
IJ"  TMiCK 


///J^/Jf/77-7T 


This  SPACE.  To  BE 

FlLLtD  WITH  CORK 
2'V  lo*-18"o.. 


Tzzzzzzzzzmzzzit. 


i&^ 


t^        !■! 


CROSS     SE.CTION 
FIG  77.— ELEVATION  AND  DETAIL  OF  ICE  HOUSE 


outside  waU,  and  with  ice  so  placed  45  cu.  ft.  of  space  is  al- 
lowed for  every  ton. 

It  seems  impossible  to  do  anything  with  the  ice  house  to- 
wards making  it  sightly.    The  only  thing,  therefore,  is  to  keep 


CORN  CRIB.     lAHM    lUII.niXGS   FOR   (M.II  I- OKI)    V.   BHOK.WV,   ESQ., 

(JI.KX  COVE,  L.  1. 


OTHER   BUILDINGS  205 

it  out  of  sight,  and  the  woods — a  dense  woods — is  the  best  place 
for  it. 

The  author  never  builds  an  ice  house,  nor  thinks  of  one, 
without  recalling  to  mind  an  experience  he  had  some  j^ears  ago 
in  connection  with  the  construction  of  a  large  ice  house  at 
Skylands  Farm.  Wishing  to  obtain  as  much  reliable  infor- 
mation as  possible,  he  went  to  see  the  manager — in  fact  the 
president — of  one  of  the  largest  ice  companies  in  New  York, 
to  profit  by  his  experience  and  his  advice.  The  author,  after 
dwelling  at  somewhat  greater  length  upon  his  own  views  than 
he  had  intended — a  not  infrequent  occurrence  with  those  who 
seek  the  views  of  others,  was  replied  to  by  the  managing  presi- 
dent somewhat  as  follows :  "Well,  we  have  built  ice  houses  of 
wood,  we  have  built  ice  houses  of  brick,  we  have  built  ice 
houses  of  stone,  and  put  them  above  ground  and  below  ground ; 
we  have  ice  houses  along  the  Hudson  that  hold  50,000  tons  of 
ice,  and  the  building  which  keeps  ice  the  best  is  the  one  I  have 
described  to  you.  Your  theories  are  interesting,  but  my 
grandmother  used  to  say  that  one  fact  was  worth  a  dozen 
theories." 

This  conversation  took  place  some  six  or  seven  years  ago 
and  resulted,  not  only  in  the  design  of  the  ice  house  shown 
in  Fig.  77,  but,  on  the  part  of  its  arcliitect,  in  an  enduring 
appreciation  of  the  wisdom  of  that  grandmother. 

Corn  Crib 

The  corn  crib  can  be  included  in  the  general  plan  for  the 
farm  barn  so  that  it  may  be  convenient  to  use  and  also  add 
its  note  of  interest  to  the  general  scheme.  The  practical  re- 
quirements consist  of  providing  a  storage  place  where  the  corn 
may  be  dried  out  by  the  air  and  be  protected  from  the  foraging 


206         MODEEN   FARM   BUILDINGS 

parties  of  rodents  which  usually  inhabit  the  barnyard  and  the 
field.  To  this  end  the  inverted  tin  pan,  which  the  farmer  has 
placed  atop  the  foundation  posts  of  his  com  crib,  at  once  oc- 
curs to  mind ;  this  method  is  characteristic  and  effective,  and 
consequently  architecturally  appropriate. 

A  not  unusual  style  of  corn  crib  is  that  shown  in  the  plate 
opposite,  arranged  so  that  a  wagon  may  be  driven  through 
it  and  unloaded  into  either  side.  This  middle  space  also 
serves  as  additional  shed  room — a  place  in  which  to  hitch  a  vis- 
iting farmer's  horse  during  a  friendly  call.  This  same  plate 
shows  a  better  method  still  for  increasing  the  shed  room  by  util- 
izing the  shelter  afforded  by  the  corn  crib,  and  the  author  is 
indebted  for  this  idea  not  to  his  own  imagination  but  that  of  a 
client,  Mr.  W.  P.  Hamilton.  Here  the  corn  crib  has  been 
raised  bodily,  high  enough  above  the  ground  to  allow  a  horse 
and  cart  to  be  driven  beneath.  Each  concrete  post  had  cast 
into  it  a  heavy  hitching  ring,  and  no  horse  as  yet  has  succeeded 
in  reproducing  for  himself  what  is  told  in  the  story  of  Samp- 
son. This  little  building  was  placed  in  the  center  of  the  farm- 
yard, where  it  has  served  its  double  purpose  well. 

In  the  plate  facing  page  205  a  smaU  corn  crib  has  been  placed 
over  the  watering-trough  in  the  cow  yard  of  a  group  of  build- 
ings designed  to  accommodate  six  cows.  It  has  been  raised 
high  enough  above  the  water  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  cat- 
tle's di'inking,  while  the  water  below  may  have  some  effect  in 
deterring  the  rat  who  would  seek  the  corn  above  it. 


THE  END 


CORN  CRIB  OF  A  TYPE  FREQUENTLY  USED  BY  THK    1  AHMEK 


CORN'  CRIIS.     FARM  lUlI.DIXCS  FOR  W.  P.  IIA.MIFIOX,  K.S(^., 
STERLINGTON,  N.  Y. 


University  of  California 

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LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrow>>ri 


PSD  2339  9/77 


D     000  571  806     9 


UCLA-AUPL 

NA  8201  H6 


L  005  857  328  8 


^ 


A 


